LIBRARY 


OF  THE 


Theological   Seminary 

PRINCETON,    N.  J. 


BS  655  .M57  1871 
Mitchel,  0.  M.  1809-1862. 
,S7,  The  Astronomy  of  the  Bible 


B( 


SraredVIC.Bullre 


^^^ /^^iv^^i:^ 


From   a  PTiotograph  taken  m  1865 


THE 


ASTROIOMY  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


BY 


0.  M.  MITCHEL,  LL.D., 

FORMERLY     DIIIKCTOK     UF    THE     CINCINNATI     AND     DUDLEY     OBSERVATORIM  } 

AUllIOE   OF    "PLANKTAKY    AND   STELLAR   WORLDS,"    AND    "POPU1.AB 

astronomy;"'     LaTE    MAJOR-GEN'KRAL    of     U.     8.     VOLS. 


WITH  A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 


NEW    YORK: 

OAKLEY,    MASON    A:N^D    CO. 

21  Murray  Street. 
1871. 


PEOF.    MITCHEL'S    BOOKS. 


PLANETARY    AND    STELLAR    WORLDS. 

1  vol.    12mo.  Illustrated. 


POPULAR    ASTRONOMY. 

1  vol.    12  mo.  .      Illustrated. 


ASTRONOMY    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

1  vol.   12mo.  .  With  steel  portraiL 


Enter<?d  According  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1863,  by 

E  .    W .     M  I  T  C  11  E  L , 

Ic  tho  Clerk's  0£3ce  cf  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  -.he  Southern 

District  of  New  York. 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE    I. 

ASTEOXOMICAL   EVIDENCES    OF   THE   BEING   OF    L    GOD. 

PAQV 

The  Distinct  Character  of  this  Investigation:  the  Grandeur  of  the  Theme. — 
Does  the  Physical  Universe  proclaim  the  Being  of  a  God? — Is  the  God  thus 
revealed  the  same  august  and  eternal  Being  portrayed  in  our  Sacred 
Books? — ^The  Three  Hypotheses  concerning  the  Existence  of  the  Universe: 
first,  the  Eternity  of  the  Structure  ;  second,  the  Eternity  of  Matter,  but  its 
Forms  and  Perpetuity  dependent  upon  Chance ;  third,  a  Creative  God. — 
The  first  untenable;  all  Nature  gives  token  of  Origin  and  Growth.  Thero 
Is  no  Eternity  in  Man,  Animal,  or  Vegetable ;  nor  can  there  be  in  the 
existent  Structure  of  the  Universe.— The  second  proved  impossible,  by 
the  very  act  of  Reasoning  which  is  necessary  to  analyze  Nature's  Lawa — 
The  third  Hypothesis  clearly  stated,  and  the  Discussion  begun.— The  Argu- 
ment from  Analogy  teaches  us  that  a  Supreme  Intelligence  must  have  made 
and  must  now  control  this  Universe. — The  Sun,  the  System,  the  Mighty 
Complication,  the  delicate  and  complete  Adjustment  of  Parts,  the  Earth, 
all  indicate  this. — Still  more  striking  is  the  Proof  when  we  pass  to  the 
Consideration  of  the  Stars  and  the  other  great  Systems 47 


LECTURE    II. 

THE    GOD    OF   THE    UNIVERSE   IS   JEHOVAH. 

ne  God  of  the  Bible:  His  Power  and  Majesty  as  He  declares  them.-  ficlenc© 
must  accord  with  Scripture  in  manifesting  Him. — Does  the  Universe  de- 
clare the  Unitij  of  God? — Every  Day's  Development  of  Astronomy  gives 
new  Proofs  of  it,  in  the  perfect  Harmony  which  pervades  this  complex 
Systom.— The  Omnipotd'>-ce  of  God  likewise  taught  by  this  Investigaiioti, 


IT  CONTENTS. 

PAG  a 

in  the  Creation  of  tliese  Worlds,  in  their  systematic  Arrangement,  in  now 
holding  them  in  their  Orbits,  and  compelling  them  to  execute  His  WilL 
— His  Supreme  Wisdom  likewise  displayed  in  all  His  Plans,  and  in  the 
perfect  Adjustment  of  all  the  Parts  of  the  Great  System.— His  Unchange- 
dbleness  deduced  from  this  Examination. — His  Omnipresence  established. 
— His  Glory  manifested  at  every  step. — Summary. — "Whence  did  the  Scrip- 
ture "Writers  derive  their  Knowledge  of  God  ? — The  Voice  of  Nature  pro- 
claims Gud 89 


LECTURE    III. 

THE     COSMOGONY     AS     REVEALED    BY    THE    PRESENT 
STATE    OF   ASTRONOMY. 

The  wonderful  Character  of  the  Bible:  its  fearless  Self-exposure  to  Attack; 
— its  "Ethereal  Mold,  incapable  of  Stain." — Compared  with  Classic  "Writ- 
ings on  Philosoi)hy  and  Ethics. — Their  decay;  its  perennial  Freshness. — 
The  Nebular  Hypothesis  of  Herschel.— La  Place's  Theory.— The  supposed 
atheistical  Tendencies. — Truth  never  shrinks  from  the  Light. — Herschel's 
Experiments.  The  Nebulae  separated ;  others  discerned.  The  Zodiacal 
Light. — La  Place's  Application  of  the  Nebular  Hypothesis. — Motion  c 
Rotation.— Great  Rings  condensing  into  Orbs.— Difficult  Questions:  Forces: 
Principles  of  their  Action. — "Will  this  Theory  coincide  with  the  Mosaic 
Account  of  the  Creation 128 


LECTURE    IV. 

THE  MOSAIC  ACCOUNT  OF  CREATION,  COMPARED  WITH  THB 
COSMOGONY  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  AS  REVEALED  IN  TUB 
ACTUAL    CONDITION    OF    ASTRONOMY. 

Analysis  of  the  "Words  of  Moses  which  explain  the  Creation,  "  In  the  Begin- 
ning;" "The  Heavens  and  tlie  Earth,"  etc.:  the  Language  scanned.— Mil- 
ton's Fiction  concerning  Lig':t.— "What  was  this  Light  which  God  thus 
called  into  Being?— The  Days  of  Creation.- The  Firmament.— TI^q  Second 


CONTENTS.  V 

pAoa 

great  Epocli  finished  —The  Third  Epoch  :  the  Gathering  of  the  "Waters  aad 
the  Appearance  of  the  Land. — The  Existence  of  Vegetable  Life  without  a 
Sun,  The  Fourth  Epoch:  the  Great  Lights,  "for  Signs  and  for  Seasons, 
for  Days  and  for  Years." — The  simple  llecord  not  intended  as  distinct 
Astronomical  Revelation. — The  Creation  of  Man. — No  complete  Demonstra- 
tion intended,  only  an  approximate  one 174 


LECTURE    V. 

AN   EXAMINATION     OF   THE    ASTKONOMICAL   ALLUSION?     IN 
THE   EOOK    OF   JOB. 

The  Authorship  of  the  Book:  its  Antiquity;  its  wonderful  Statements.— 
God's  Answers  to  Job  considered. — Nicer  Shades  of  Meaning  in  Transit 
tion. — The  Bounds  of  the  Ocean. — The  Dayspring  from  on  High. — Tides.^ 
The  Ocean's  Limits  fixed  while  Day  and  Night  endure. — Ilesiod's  Fancy.— 
Other  striking  Queries. — Further  Consideration  of  Light. — The  Littlenes* 
of  Human  Science 218 


LECTURE    VI. 

THE   ASTRONOMICAL     MIRACLES    OF   THE     BIBLE     MIRA(?-^3 
OF   POWER. 

Such  an  Inquiry  not  within  our  Scope — Astronomy  deals  with  the  Phenoraen* 

of  Nature,  not  the  Miracles  of  God The  Subject,  however,  may  be  in  some 

degree  illustrated. — The  Universe  governed  by  invariable  Laws These 

Miracles  seem  to  suspend  them.— The  Stopping  of  the  Sun  and  Moon  at 
Joshua's  Command,  and  the  Going  backward  of  the  Shadow  on  the  Sua- 

dial  of  Ahaz. — Difliculties  of  the  Subject Can  God  work  Miracles? — What 

is  a  Miracle  ?— The  new  Elijah.— The  Case  of  Joshua  considered.— How  can 
that  Miracle  be  accounted  for  ? — By  stopping  the  Rotation  of  the  Earth  on 
its  Axis. — Can  this  be  done  without  universal  Derangement? — Are  we  to 
suppose  that  God  jp^ould  do  it  ? — If  asserted  as  done,  can  we  credit  it  ?^ 
Yes.— Refraction  miraculously  applied.— The  Miracle  of  the  Sun-dial  of 
Ahaz  may  thus  be  accounted  for. — Further  Details  of  Joshua's  Success.— A 


Vi  COI^TENTS. 

PAGV 

probable  Interpolation.— What  astronomic  Research  can  discover.— Sup- 
pose the  Investigation  made,  it  could  only  concern  the  Eotation  of  the 
Earth.— The  Effect  of  stopping  the  Rotation.- The  New  Testament  Prophe- 
cies as  to  the  End  of  the  Earth.— Man's  Ignorance  a  Reason  for  Reverence 
and  Faith,— We  know  that  God  lives  and  speaks,  and  this  is  all  -we  need 
to  know.— The  Superiority  of  the  Moral  to  the  Material 249 


LECTUKE    yil. 

THE      LANGUAGE      OF     THE     BIBLE. 

rhe  Language  of  the  Bible  a  Proof  of  its  Inspiration.— It  diflFers  from  that 
of  other  Oriental  Nations,  who  saw  the  same  Splendors  of  the  Heavens. — 
The  first  Sentence  in  the  Bible.—"  In  the  Beginning  God  created  the 
Heavens  and  the  Earth." — A  grand  Assertion. — No  Argument. — The  Egyp- 
tian Fancy  of  the  Origin  of  the  Creation. — The  Persian. — The  Views  of 
Tbales;  of  Plato;  of  Aristotle;  of  Zeno ;  of  Epicurus.— A  further  Con- 
sideration of  the  Mosaic  Account. — God's  Providence  displayed. — Modern 
Science  can  only  begin  where  Moses  left  off. — The  Lawgiver  and  the  Laws. — 
Undevout  Astronomers  few  in  comparison  to  the  Devout ; — Copernicus, 
Kejiler,  Tycho,  Galileo,  Newton. —  Quotations  from  the  Old  Testament 
Writers.— Their  Language  the  only  fitting  Vehicle  for  tne  overwnelming 
Thoughts.— Their  Declarations  examined.— The  Orbit  of  Neptune. — The 
Milky  Way. — The  Habit  of  using  the  Language  of  the  Bible  causes  us  to 
forget  its  Grandeur  and  Appositeness. — Specific  Declarations  examined; 
Day  and  Night;  the  Ocean''8  Bounds.— Beyond  our  System.— Bessel's  Obser- 
vations.—The  Foundations  of  the  Earth  ''Upon  Nothing;"  Hung  in  empty 
Space ;  Established  forever.— St.  Paul  on  Mars'  Hill.— Points  in  his  Dis- 
course unanswerable. — Striking  Illustration  of  a  rebellious  Planet,— God's 
Goodness 28 


PREFACE, 

The  volume  iere  offered  to  the  public  contains  the  hist 
finished  astrcromical  work  of  Professor  Mitchel ;  and,  with 
those  that  he  published  before  his  death,  constitutes  a  series 
wliich,  if  not  exhaustive  of  the  accepted  divisions  of  the 
science,  presents,  in  outline,  its  great  physical  features  and 
its  ethical  relations.  "  The  Planetary  and  Stellar  AVorlds," 
published  in  1848,  contained  a  popular  exposition  of  the 
important  discoveries  and  splendid  theories  of  modern 
astronomy.  It  traced  the  progress  of  the  great  science 
from  the  primitive  ages,  showing  how,  little  by  little,  the 
true  theory  dawned  upon  the  feeble  mind  of  man,  fearful 
and  long  unwilling  to  receive  it ;  it  presented  the  great  laws, 
with  copious  and  eloquent  illustration  ;  it  offered  clear  solu- 
tions of  the  wondrous  problems ;  discussed  the  discovery  of 
new  planers  and  the  characteristics  of  the  cometary  world ; 
displayed  the  grandeur  of  the  scale  upon  which  the  universe 
is  built,  and  showed  the  benevolent  provisions  for  its  perma- 
nent stability. 

The  "Popular  Astronomy,"  pubhshed  in   1860,  is  a  con- 

ise  elementary  treatise  on  our  sun,  planets,  satellites,  and 

comets ;  bringing  the  lofty  truths  and  mighty  laws  within 

the  scope  of  popular  and  youthful  comprehension.     It  is  at 


VIU  PREFACE. 

once  lucid  and  eloquent,  and  serves  admirably  as  a  manual 
of  instruction. 

The  present  work  is  of  an  entirely  different  nature  from 
both  these,  but  in  some  sort  complementary  to  them.  As  a 
devout  Christian  man.  Professor  Mitcliel  was  aware  of  the 
difficulties  whicli  beset  tlie  honest  seeker  for  truth,  by  rea- 
son of  the  neological  arguments  of  the  free-thinker,  based  upon 
an  apparent  want  of  harmony  between  modern  astronomy  and 
the  Bible ;  and  he  determined  to  apply  his  great  practical 
knowledge  to  a  popular  exposition  of  this  subject.  The  day 
seemed  to  have  passed  when  the  careless  crowd  would  allow 
the  truth  of  the  assertion,  "The  undevout  astronomer  is  mad  ;" 
and  he  bent  his  energies  to  such  a  work  as  should  extort  the 
confession  once  more  from  all  who  heard,  or  should  read 
him.  lie  always  intended  doubtless,  to  put  these  lectures  in 
a  book  form,  but  they  were  originally  delivered  before  large 
audiences  in  many  of  our  principal  cities,  with  the  happiest 
effect ;  confirming  the  faith  of  many,  and  arousing  the  devo- 
tion of  all. 

But  they  were  never  more  timely  than  now.  The  ex- 
ploded gnosticism  of  Germany  has  made  its  way  into  Eng- 
land ;  has  invaded  the  English  Church  and  assumed  our 
English  speech.  Essayists  and  reviewers  first  strike  the 
secret  blow ;  and  then  an  English  bishop  attacks  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints,  with  weapons  forged  in  her  own 
armories,  and  turned  against  her  by  her  traitors  and  de- 
serters. Professor  Mitchcl's  work  is  no  designed  answer  to 
Bishop  Colcnso's  cavils  and  sophistries — for  it  was  prepared 
before  the  bishop  had  started  upon  his  meteoric  course ;  but 


PREFACE.  IX 

it  certainly  is  strangely  providential  that,  while  an  English 
prelate,  whose  sworn  duty  it  is  to  defend  the  Church,  smites 
it  with  pai-ricidal  hand,  an  American  astronomer,  who,  in 
the  following  of  many  of  his  scientific  co-workers,  miglit 
have  been  expected  to  doubt,  oi-,  at  the  least,  to  be  supremely 
indifferent,  rises  from  his  grave,  as  it  were,  to  confront  him 
with  a  chastened,  instructed,  and  devout  belief,  and  to  answer 
his  shallow  learning  with  Avords  of  "  truth  and  soberness." 

Those  who  look  in  this  volume,  however,  for  an  arrogant 
demonstration  of  positive  harmony  betvi^een  astronomy  and 
the  Bible,  will  be  disappointed:  its  author  does  not  pretend 
to  make  out  a  case.  The  proof  of  perfect  harmony  can  only 
be  found  in  the  full  development  of  science  ;  it  can  only  be 
stated  now  as  an  increasing  probability.  The  earlier  stages 
of  science  presented  singular  apparent  errors  in  the  Scripture 
accounts  :  as  science  has  progressed,  many  of  the  discrep- 
ancies have  disappeared  ;  every  day  throws  new  light  into 
dark  places  ;  and,  as  difficulty  after  difficulty  is  cleared 
away,  we  reason,  not  illogically,  to  a  time  when  this  perfect 
harmony  shall  be  morally  demonstrated.  "When  the  nebular 
hypothesis  of  Ilerschel,  and  the  consequent  investigations  of 
Laplace,  were  first  brought  to  light,  they  were  regarded  as 
an  impious  attempt  upon  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  creation  : 
it  was  a  prejudged  case  ;  no  orthodox  Christian,  not  an  edu- 
cated astronomer,  dared  to  examine  them,  hardly,  indeed,  to 
glance  at  them  ;  and  yet.  Professor  Mitchel,  boldly  accept- 
ing the  scientific  investigations  and  deductions  of  these 
astronomers  as  worthy  of  careful  examination,  has  given  a 
brilliant  elucidation  of  the  Bible  narrative  by  their  means ; 

1*^ 


X  PREFACE. 

and  in  the  light  thus  thrown  upon  the  subject,  we  see  new 
elements  of  a  harmony  which  time  alone  can  perfect. 

By  means  of  a  few  pages  he  has  left,  in  fragmentary  form, 
we  know  that  it  was  his  purpose  to  continue  this  subject  by 
considering  the  relations  of  astronomy  to  Christianity,  or  the 
harmony  of  the  science  with  the  record  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. From  this  fragment  a  few  lines  may  be  quoted. 
After  giving,  in  rapid  summary,  the  points  discussed  in  these 
lectures,  he  says  : 

"Admitting that  we  have  been  successful  in  exhibiting  the 
above  facts  under  a  light  satisfactory  to  the  thoughtful  and 
candid,  there  still  remains  the  grand  question,  that  that 
Almighty  Being  who  created  all  things  by  the  Avord  of  His 
power,  who  hath  built  the  universe  in  wisdom,  who  inhabit- 
eth  eternity,  who  filleth  immensity  by  Ilis  presence,  who  is 
the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever, — could  have  conde- 
scended to  clothe  Himself  with  the  garments  of  humanity, 
to  suffer  indignity  and  insult,  and  injury  and  death,  at  the 
hands  of  Ilis  own  creatures,  upon  this  globe  that  we  inhabit, 
which  itself  is  but  an  atom  in  the  infinite  empire  of  the  ever- 
living  God. 

"  To  the  candid  searcher  after  truth,  who  is  willing  to  be 
convinced ;  who  is  anxious  to  believe  the  great  mystery  of 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh  ;  who  would  gladly  accept  the 
doctrine  of  an  infinite  Saviour  dying  upon  the  cross  to  atone 
for  the  sins  of  mortals,  here,  undoubtedl}-,  will  be  found  a 
difficulty  far  greater  than  all  others  hitherto  considered,  and 
rising  far  above  them  all  in  power  and  resistance. 

"It  would  not  be  fair,  therefore,  to  close  our  investigation 


PREFACE.  XI 

and  end  the  "liscussion  witliout  an  attempt,  feeble  as  it  may 
be,  -to  elucidate  this  last  great  subject.  I  know  the  theme  is 
difficult ;  I  comprehend  fully  the  nature  of  the  task  I  am 
about  to  undortako ;  and  while  I  can  not  hope  to  remove 
doubt  from  the  mind  of  any  one,  I  may  yet  venture  to  sug- 
gest a  train  of  thought  which,  if  carried  to  its  legitimate 
results,  may  lead  the  struggling  mind  out  of  the  dim  regions 
of  doubt  into  tbe  clear  atmosphere  of  faith  and  hope." 

We  may  regret  that  he  was  unable  to  complete  this  grand 
investigation ;  for  as  Christianity  is  the  prophetic  purpose 
and  end  of  the  Old  Testament  scriptures,  so  all  science  must 
be  made  to  harmonize  not  simply  with  the  older  record,  but 
with  the  perfected  plan  of  man's  redemption. 

Deploring,  as  we  do,  the  country's  loss  in  the  death  of  so 
energetic  and  skillful  a  general,  it  is  to  be  observed  that,  as 
a  man  of  science,  his  death  was  especially  premature.  As 
he  entered  the  army  purely  and  solely  from  patriotic  mo- 
tives, he  would  doubtless  have  left  it  immediately  upon  the 
announcement  of  an  honorable  peace,  and  gone  back  with 
an  ardor  sharpened  by  his  forced  relinquishment  of  science, 
to  his  astronomical  studies.  He  had,  to  all  human  appear- 
ance, a  brilliant  future  still  before  him.  He  was  still,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  director  of  both  the  observatories,  at  Cin- 
cinnati and  Albany,  and  found  time,  amid  his  military  duties, 
to  send  instructions  to  the  assistants  in  charge,  and  to  keep 
himself  acquainted  with  the  condition  of  the  institutions. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  the  distinguished 
author  of  the  following  pages,  had  achieved  such  brilliant 
success  in  science  and  in  arms,  that  the  detailed  story  of 
his  life  would  be  read  with  eager  interest  by  his  admiring 
countrymen.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  such  a  biography 
will  not  be  withheld  ;  not  alone  in  eulogy  of  his  virtues 
and  his  achievements,  but  as  a  bright  example  to  our- 
selves and  to  our  children.  It  is  not,  however,  the  pur- 
pose of  the  writer,  here  and  now,  to  present  these  details. 
In  offering  to  the  world  his  lectures  on  the  Astronomy 
of  the  Bible,  as  a  posthumous  publication,  it  is  only 
intended  to  glance,  in  this  preliminary  sketch,  at  the 
principal  objective  points  in  that  eager,  ardent,  devout, 
and  energetic  life,  as  a  fitting  exordium  to  those  last  and 
fervently  pious  words  which,  he  being  ''dead,  yet  speak- 
eth"  :  thus  to  present  to  the  reader  the  lecturer  with  his 
lectures  ;  to  show  what  manner  of  man  he  was  who  thus 
rushes  ardently,  armed  with  scientific  research,  to  the 
support  of  the  faith  so  variously  attacked,  and  apparently 
imperiled,  in  this  day  of  more  than  Athenian  novelties 
and  curiosity. 


14  BIOGEAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

Ormsby  McKnight  Mitchel  was  born  in  Union 
County,  Kentucky,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1810.  He 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father  -vvhen  he  was  three 
years  old,  and  thus  from  his  early  infancy  he  was  left 
to  battle  with  the  world,  and  win  such  a  place  in  its 
esteem  as  the  God-given  genius  and  indomitable  energy 
he  possessed  might  secure  for  him.  Immediately  after 
his  father's  death  his  family  removed  to  Ohio ;  and  at 
twelve  years  of  age  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  the 
town  of  Miami,  from  whence,  however,  not  long  after,  he 
moved  with  his  family  to  Lebanon.  A  bright  and  in- 
quiring boy,  he  soon  found  the  plodding  and  menial 
duties  of  a  country  store  tame,  painful,  and  unsatisfac- 
tory. 

Always  eager  in  the  pursuit  of  learning,  and  especially 
of  that  practical  knowledge  which  could  clear  the  wilder- 
ness and  build  towns  like  magic  in  our  then  wild  as  well 
as  far  West,  he  bent  his  energies  toward  procuring  an 
appointment  to  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point, 
where,  he  had  been  told,  such  instruction  was  given  at 
the  expense  of  the  government,  and  an  assured  future 
lay  beyond  to  the  honorable  graduate.  He  was  suc- 
cessful; he  entered  the  Military  Academy  on  the  23d 
of  June,  1825,  when  not  yet  fifteen  years  old — being 
admitted,  by  special  favor,  a  year  earlier  than  the  law 
allowed.  His  standing  while  a  cadet  was  always  high ; 
and  his  pursuit  of  knowledge,  in  all  its  forms,  eager  and 


BIOGRAPniCAL    NOTICE.  15 

persevering.  Among  his  classmates  were  the  most  dis- 
tinguished generals  at  present  in  our  own  or  the  rebel 
service ;  among  the  latter  were  Lee  and  Joseph  Johnston. 
His  letters  to  his  mother  and  brother  during  this  period 
all  represent  him  as  an  eager  student  and  ambitious  in 
his  aims. 

In  1829  he  graduated  with  honor,  and  was  appointed 
a  second  lieutenant  in  the  second  artillery.  So  favorable 
was  the  impression  produced  by  his  novitiate,  that  he  was 
very  soon  detailed  for  duty  at  the  academy,  as  Assistant 
Professor  of  IMathematics.  He  was  afterward,  for  a 
short  time,  stationed  at  St.  Augustine,  in  Florida.  But 
the  prospects  of  the  army  at  that  period  could  not  satisfy 
the  energy  and  honorable  ambition  of  such  a  man  as 
Mitchel.  He  resigned  on  the  80th  of  September,  1832, 
with  no  fortune,  and  no  prospect  but  in  persevering  labor 
to  achieve  fame,  usefulness,  and  honor. 

It  is  worthy  of  record,  as  illustrative  of  his  character, 
that  just  after  his  graduation  the  French  Revolution 
broke  out ;  —those  "  three  days  of  July"  which  drove  the 
"  legitimate"  Bourbons  once  more  from  the  throne  they 
were  unworthy  to  occupy,  and  elevated  the  citizen-king, 
Louis  Philippe,  to  the  seat  of  power.  Many  remember 
the  effect  produced  by  this  volcanic  eruption  all  over  the 
civilized  vrorld.  Our  young  soldier  was  not  exempt  from 
the  pervading  influence.  His  letters  to  his  brother  ex- 
press an  unsettled  condition  of  mind,  and  a  growing  desire 


16  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

to  go  to  Europe  and  plunge,  sword  in  hand,  into  the 
great  wars  which  he  believed  would  grow  out  of  this 
change  of  dynasty.  This  is  mentioned  as  betokening  his 
quickly- kindled  enthusiasm,  his  desire  to  exercise  his 
newly-acquired  powers,  and  his  ardent  but  honorable 
ambition  for  distinction.  The  spirit  of  revolution  wdiich 
France  evoked,  and  which  stalked  for  a  brief  space 
through  Europe,  was  soon  laid,  and  Mitchel  settled,  as 
has  been  told,  into  the  quiet  but  hard-working  life  of  a 
citizen. 

While  in  the  army  he  had  married  Mrs.  Trask,  the 
widow  of  Lieutenant  Trask,  and  formerly  Miss  Louisa 
Clark,  of  Cornwall,  on  the  Hudson.  In  his  growing 
family  he  found  new  incentives  to  labor ;  and  so  we  see 
him,  in  1832,  opening  an  office  as  counsellor-at-law  in 
Cincinnati.  In  this  position  he  remained  until  the 
establishment  of  the  Cincinnati  College  in  1834,  when 
he  was  elected  Professor  of  Mathematics,  Philosophy, 
and  Astronomy.  This  post  he  held  until  the  sad  and 
untimely  destruction  of  the  college  buildings  by  fire,  and 
the  consequent  dissolution  of  the  college.  But  wdiat 
seemed  his  misfortune  was  in  reality  a  great  blessing. 
In  the  routine  of  academic  duties  he  might  have  remained 
satisfied ;  but  when  once  more  thrown  upon  his  own 
remarkable  energies,  his  "sleepless  soul"  undertook 
grand  and  original  adventures. 

During  the  period  of  his  professorship  he  could  still 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  1? 

find  time  to  devote  to  other  public  duties.  From  1836 
to  1837  he  was  chief  engineer  of  the  Little  Miami  Rail- 
road. He  had,  while  in  the  army,  acquired  some  expe- 
rience in  railway  engineering,  which  was  to  prove  of 
value  on  many  occasions  during  his  life  of  peace,  and 
to  find  brilliant  illustrations  during  his  brief  but  splendid 
military  career.  But  his  principal  study  was  astronomy, 
the  objective  science  Avhich  kindled  his  ardor  and  claimed 
all  his  devotion.  Amid  the  drudgery  of  the  lawyer's 
office  ;  while  teaching  the  elements  of  mathematics  and 
mechanics ;  in  the  practical,  busy  life  of  a  railway 
engineer,  the  stars  shone  upon  him  with  that  potent 
influence  with  which  in  earlier  days  they  had  been  sup- 
posed to  shine  upon  every  man.  For  him,  we  may 
almost  believe,  there  was  a  horoscope,  and  that  all  the 
planets  were  conjoined  in  its  composition. 

In  1842  he  undertook  to  establish  the  Cincinnati 
Observatory — now  The  Mitchel  Observatory — a  gigantic 
labor,  which  would  have  been  too  much  for  talent,  energy, 
and  industry  less  than  his  own.  Of  the  difficulties  which 
he  encountered  we  may  best  judge  by  his  own  narrative. 
Writing,  in  1848,  he  says  :  "  My  attention  had  been  for 
many  years  directed  to  this  subject  (the  erection  of  a 
great  astronomical  observatory  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati), 
by  the  duties  of  the  professorship,  which  I  then  held  in 
the  college.  In  attempting  to  communicate  the  great 
truths  of  astronomy,  there  were  no  instruments  at  hand 


18  BIOGKAPHICAL     NOTICE. 

to  confirm  and  fix  the  -wonderful  facts  recorded  in  the 
books.  Up  to  that  period  our  country,  and  the  West  par- 
ticularly, had  given  but  little  attention  to  practical 
astronomy.  A  few  individuals,  with  a  zeal  and  ardor 
deserving  of  all  praise,  had  struggled  on  to  eminence 
almost  without  means  or  instruments.  An  isolated  tele- 
scope was  found  here  and  there  scattered  through  the 
country  ;  but  no  regularly  organized  observatory,  with 
powerful  instruments,  existed  within  the  limits  of  the 
United  States,  so  far  as  I  know.     *     *     * 

'^  To  ascertain  whether  any  interest  could  be  excited 
in  the  public  mind  in  favor  of  astronomy,  in  the  spring 
of  18-12  a  series  of  lectures  was  delivered  in  the  hall  of 
the  Cincinnati  College.  To  give  an  increased  effect  to 
these  discourses  (which  were  unwritten,  and  in  a  style 
of  great  simplicity),  a  mechanical  contrivance  was  pre- 
pared, by  the  aid  of  which  the  beautiful  telescopic  views 
in  the  heavens  were  presented  to  the  audience,  with  a 
brilliancy  and  power  scarcely  inferior  to  that  displayed 
by  the  most  powerful  telescopes.  To  this  fortunate  in- 
vention were  these  lectures  ('  The  Planetary  and  Stellar 
Worlds'),  no  doubt,  principally  indebted  for  the  interest 
which  they  produced,  and  which  occasioned  them  to  be 
attended  by  a  very  large  number  of  the  intelligent  per- 
sons in  the  city.  Encouraged  by  the  large  audiences, 
which  continued  through  two  months  to  fill  the  lecture- 
room,  and  still  more  by  the  request  to  repeat  the  last 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  19 

lecture  of  the  course  in  one  of  the  great  churches  of  the 
city,  I  raatured  a  plan  for  the  building  of  an  observatory, 
which  it  was  resolved  should  be  presented  to  the  audience 
at  the  close  of  the  lecture,  in  case  circumstances  should 
favor.     *     *     * 

''  In  Europe,  imperial  treasure  and  princely  munifi- 
cence could  build  the  temples  of  science  ;  under  a  free 
government  no  such  means  existed,  and  to  accomplish 
the  erection  of  these  great  scientific  institutions,  the 
intelligent  liberality  of  the  whole  community  was  the 
only  resource.  But  it  had  been  denied  that  this  resource 
could  be  relied  on ;  and  it  had  been  roundly  asserted  that, 
in  the  nature  of  things,  the  United  States  must  ever 
remain  grossly  defective  in  all  the  appliances  for  scien- 
tific research.  To  test  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  these 
statements  was  not  a  dijfficult  matter  ;  and  thus  encour- 
aged by  the  interest  already  manifested  in  behalf  of 
astronomy,  I  had  already  resolved  to  devote  Jive  years 
of  faithful  efibrt  to  accomplish  the  erection  of  a  great 
astronomical  observatory  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati, 

"  This  announcement  was  received  with  every  mark 
of  favor,  and  the  following  simple  plan  was  at  once  pre- 
sented. The  entire  amount  required  to  erect  the  build- 
ings and  purchase  the  instruments,  should  be  divided 
into  shares  of  twenty-five  dollars ;  every  shareholder  to 
be  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  observatory,  under  the 
management  of  a  board  of  control,  to  be  elected  by  the 


20  BlOGEAPniCAL     NOTICE. 

shareholders.  Before  any  subscription  should  become 
binding,  the  names  of  three  hundred  subscribers  should 
be  first  obtained.  This  accomplished,  these  three  hun- 
dred should  meet,  organize,  and  elect  a  board,  ^\ho  should 
thenceforward  manage  the  affairs  of  the  association. 

"  Such  is  the  history  of  the  origin  of  the  Cincinnati 
Astronomical  Society.     *     *     * 

"  On  the  second  day  I  started  for  New  York,  and  on 
the  IGth  of  June,  1842,  sailed  for  Liverpool.  Having 
visited  many  of  the  best  appointed  observatories  both  in 
England  and  on  the  continent  (in  each  and  every  one  of 
-whicli  I  was  received  w^ith  a  degree  of  kindness  and 
attention  for  which  I  acknowledge  the  deepest  obliga- 
tions), and  having  been  unsuccessful  in  finding,  either  in 
London  or  Paris,  an  object-glass  of  the  size  required,  I 
finally  determined  to  visit  the  city  of  Munich.  The 
fame  of  the  optical  institute  of  the  celebrated  Frauen- 
hofer  had  even  reached  the  banks  of  the  Ohio ;  and  it 
was  hoped  that,  in  that  great  manufactory,  an  instrument 
such  as  the  society  desired  might  be  obtained,  if  not  com- 
pleted, at  least  in  such  a  state  of  forwardness  as  to  per- 
mit it  to  be  furnished  at  an  early  day.  In  this  I  was 
not  disappointed.  An  object-glass  of  nearly  twelve 
inches  diameter,  and  of  superior  finish,  was  found  in  the 
cabinet  of  M.  Mertz,  the  successor  of  Frauenhofer.  This 
glass  had  been  subjected  to  a  severe  trial  in  the  tube 
of  the  great  refractor  of  the  Munich   observatory,  hj 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  21 

Dr.  Lamont,  and  had  been  pronounced  of  the  liigliest 
c[uality. 

"  To  mount  this  glass  would  require  about  two  years,  at 
a  cost  of  nearly  ten  thousand  dollars ;  a  sum  consider- 
ably greater  than  that  appropriated  at  the  time  for  an 
equatorial  telescope.  Having  made  a  conditional  arrange- 
ment for  this  and  other  instruments,  I  returned  to  Green- 
wich, England,  where,  at  the  invitation  of  Professor 
Airy,  the  Astronomer  Royal,  I  remained  for  some  time 
to  study.  Having  accomplished  the  objects  of  my  jour- 
ney, I  returned  home,  and  rendered  a  report  to  a  very 
larfic  meetin;2;  of  the  members  of  the  association  and  other 
citizens  of  Cincinnati.     '*'     '"     * 

"The  principal  instrument  having  been  ordered,  and  the 
first  payment  on  its  cost  made,  attention  was  now  given 
to  the  procuring  of  a  suitable  site  for  the  building.  For- 
tunately for  the  society,  the  place  of  all  others  most  per- 
fectly adapted  to  their  wants,  was  then  the  property  of 
Nicholas  Long  worth,  Esq.  It  is  a  lofty  hill-top,  rising 
some  four  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  city,  and 
commanding  a  perfect  horizon  in  all  directions.  On 
making  known  to  ^Ir.  Longworth  the  prospects  and  wants 
of  the  Astronomical  Society,  the  writer  was  directed  by 
him  to  select  four  acres  on  the  hill-top,  out  of  a  tract 
of  some  twenty-five  acres,  and  to  proceed  at  once  to 
enclose  it,  as  it  would  give  him  great  pleasure  to  present 
it  to  the  association.     On  compliance  with  the  conditions 


22  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

of  the  title-bond,  a  deed  has  since  been  received,  placing 
the  society  in  full  possession  of  this  elegant  position. 

"  Preparations  were  now  made  to  commence  the  erec- 
tion of  the  building  for  the  observatory.  The  grounds 
were  enclosed,  a  road  built,  rendering  access  to  the  hill- 
top comparatively  easy,  the  excavations  for  the  founda- 
tions were  made,  and,  on  the  9  th  day  of  November,  1843, 
the  corner-stone  of  the  pier  which  was  to  sustain  the 
great  Refracting  Telescope  was  laid  by  John  Qiilnci/ 
AdamSj  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  On  this  occasion 
Mr.  Adams  made  his  last  great  oration.  The  deep  inter- 
est which  he  had  taken  in  astronomical  science  warranted 
the  hope  that  he  might  be  induced  to  visit  the  West  on 
the  occasion  of  laying  the  foundation-stone  of  the  first 
great  popular  observatory  ever  erected  in  the  United 
States.  This  hope  was  not  disappointed.  The  unaffected 
devotion  of  this  truly  great  man  to  the  interests  of  his 
country,  were,  perhaps,  never  more  perfectly  exhibited 
than  in  his  ready  acquiescence  to  comply  with  the  wishes 
of  the  Astronomical  Society,  that  he  should  perform  for 
them  the  important  services  on  which  the  future  success 
of  this  new  enterprise  in  no  small  degree  depended.  His 
high  character,  his  advanced  age,  the  length  of  the  jour- 
ney, the  inclemency  of  the  season,  all  combined  to  ex- 
hibit to  his  countrymen  the  depth  of  his  interest  in  a 
cause  v/hich  could  induce  such  sacrifices. 

"  After  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone,  the  lateness  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  23 

the  season,  and  other  causes,  induced  a  suspension  of  the 
work  on  the  building  for  the  winter;  and  it  was  not 
resumed  until  May,  1844.  In  the  mean  time,  after 
incredible  difficulty,  the  entire  amount  called  for  in  the 
payment  for  the  great  telescope,  was  collected  and  remit- 
ted ;  and  the  society  was  left  with  scarcely  a  dollar  of 
available  means,  to  commence  the  erection  of  a  building 
which,  according  to  the  plan,  would  cost  some  seven  or 
eight  thousand  dollars." 

"  At  length,  however,  the  building  was  reared,  and 
finally  covered  in,  without  incurring  any  debt.  But  the 
conditions  of  the  bond,  by  which  the  lot  of  ground  was  held, 
required  the  completion  of  the  observatory  in  two  years 
from  its  date  ;  and  these  two  years  would  expire  in  June, 
1845.  It  was  seen  to  be  impossible  to  carry  forward  the 
building  fast  enough  to  secure  its  completion  by  the 
required  time,  without  incurring  some  debt.  My  own 
private  resources  were  used,  in  the  hope  that  a  short 
time  after  the  finishing  of  the  observatory  would  be  suffi- 
cient to  furnish  the  funds  to  meet  all  engagements.  The 
work  Avas  pushed  rapidly  forward.  In  February,  1845, 
the  great  telescope  safely  reached  the  city  of  Cincinnati ; 
and  in  March  the  building  was  ready  for  its  reception. 
I  had  now  exhausted  all  my  private  means,  and,  to 
increase  the  difficulty  of  the  position  in  which  I  was 
placed,  the  College  edifice  took  fire  and  burned  to  the 


^4  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

ground.  My  ordinary  means  of  support  were  thua 
destroyed  at  a  single  blow.  I  had  engaged  to  conduct 
the  observatory,  ^vithout  compensation  from  the  society, 
for  ten  years,  in  the  hope  that  my  college  salary  would 
be  sufficient  for  my  wants.  It  Avas  impossible  to  abandon 
the  observatory.  The  college  could  not  be  rebuilt,  at 
least  for  several  years,  and  in  this  emergency  I  found  it 
necessary  to  seek  some  means  of  support,  least  inconsist- 
ent with  my  duties  in  the  observatory.  My  public  lec- 
tures at  home  had  been  comparatively  well  received,  and 
after  much  hesitation  it  was  resolved  to  make  an  experi- 
ment elsewhere.  For  five  years  I  had  been  pleading  the 
cause  of  science  among  those  little  acquainted  with  its 
technical  lano;uao;e.  I  had  become  habituated  to  the  use 
of  such  terms  as  were  easily  understood ;  and  probably 
to  this  circumstance,  more  than  to  any  other  one  thing, 
am  I  indebted  for  any  success  which  may  have  attended 
my  public  lectures.  To  the  citizens  of  Boston,  Brook- 
lyn, New  York,  and  New  Orleans,  for  the  kindness  with 
which  they  were  pleased  to  receive  my  imperfect  efiforts, 
I  am  deeply  indebted.  My  lectures  were  never  written, 
and  no  idea  was  entertained  of  publishing  a  course,  until 
the  partiality  of  my  friends  induced  me  to  attempt  this 
experiment." 

Thus  it  was  that  in  1842  he  began  his  remarkable 
career  as  a  lecturer  on  astronomy.  More  than  any  other 
man  in  America  has  he  thus  accomplished  for  his  favor- 


B  I  O  G  K  A  P  II I  C  A  L     NOTICE.  25 

ite  science  :  besides  the  observatory  he  founded,  and  the 
instrumen'ts  he  imported — and  to  which  he  has  greatly 
added  by  his  improvements  and  inventions — he  avfakened 
in  thousands  of  minds  an  interest  in  the  subject,  in- 
structed popular  assemblies,  not  only  by  his  clear  out- 
lines of  the  gigantic  science,  but  by  his  masterly  handling 
of  its  difficult  and  abstruse  theories  and  problems,  and 
by  his  fiery  words,  which,  exhibiting  his  ovv'n  knowledge 
and  enthusiasm,  told  of  its  divine  beauties  and  relations, 
and  kept  crowded  audiences  all  over  the  country  in 
breathless  and  delighted  attention. 

He  had  surveyed  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad 
in  1844  ;  and  w^hen  the  enterprise  was  fairly  undertaken 
and  the  road  placed  under  contract,  he  w^as  sent  to 
Europe  by  the  Company,  as  a  confidential  agent  on  the 
business  of  the  road,  in  1853 ;  and  again,  on  the  same 
business,  in  1854.  For  some  time  he  was  connected 
with  the  Eastern  division  of  that  road,  and  was  chiefly 
instrumental  in  bringing  it  to  a  successful  completion. 

In  the  summer  of  1860  he  was  appointed  Director  of 

the  Dudley  Observatory ;  and  without  a  reference  to  the 

unhappy  difficulties  which  beset  that  institution  at  the 

beginning,  it  may  be  said  that  his  acceptance  of  the  post 

restored  quiet,  and  produced  the  greatest  usefulness  of 

which  the  observatory  was  instrumentally  and  financially 

capable.     It  was  still  under  his  direction  at  the  time  of 

his  death. 

2 


26  BIOGP.APIIIC  AL     NOTICE. 

When  the  war  broke  out,  Professor  Mitchelj  urged 
singly  and  purely  by  ^Datriotic  motives,  placed  his  ser- 
vices at  the  disposition  of  the  government,  and  devoted 
his  life  iind  military  knowledge  to  his  country.  On  the 
Dth  of  August,  18G1,  he  v>'as  appointed  a  Brigadier- 
General  of  Volunteers,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Department  of  the  Ohio,  with  his  head-quarters  at  Cin- 
cinnati. While  there  he  carefully  surveyed  the  ap- 
proaches to  the  town,  built  redoubts  and  projected 
lines  at  tlie  prominent  points,  which  doubtless  served  a 
good  purpose  when,  at  a  later  day,  Cincinnati  was  threat- 
ened by  an  overwhelming  rebel  force. 

When  the  Departments  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Cumber- 
land were  afterward  united,  General  Mitchel  was  ordered 
to  report  to  General  Buell ;  and  he  was  then  placed  in 
command  of  a  camp  of  rendezvous,  v.diere  he  was  actively 
receiving,  organizing,  and  forwarding  troops  for  three 
weeks.  At  the  expiration  of  this  brief  period  he  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  third  division  of  the 
Army  of  the  Ohio,  then  stationed  at  Elizabetown, 
Kentucky.  If  we  particularize  in  dates  and  posi- 
tions, it  is  that  the  reader  may  trace  the  rapid  and 
energetic  movements  of  General  Mitchel  the  more 
intelligibly. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1862,  he  was  at  Bacon 
Creek  ;  on  the  13th  he  started  for  Bowling  Green,  until 
then  the  strongest  point  on  the  strategic  line  of  the  rebel 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  27 

army.  Forced  inarches,  in  themselves  a  wonderful  feat 
with  new  troops,  brought  him  to  Bowling  Green  on  the 
15th.  On  the  22d  he  started,  with  General  Buell,  for 
Nashville ;  and  it  is  worth  recording  that  that  city  was 
surrendered  to  Colonel  Kennett,  of  the  Fourth  Ohio 
Cavalry,  for  General  Mitchel,  on  Sunday  evening,  Feb- 
ruary 23.  The  surrender  is  publicly  believed  to  have 
been  made  to  General  Nelson.  But  that  officer  did  not 
arrive  with  his  division  to  occupy  the  place  until  three 
days  after  it  had  capitulated  to  General  Mitchel.  Ho 
had  now  entered  upon  those  brilliant  independent  move- 
ments which  had  excited  the  admiration  of  the  whole 
country,  and  which,  could  he  have  received  timely  and 
adequate  reinforcements,  would  have  redeemed  the  entire 
region  in  which  they  were  made.  Early  in  March  he 
was  at  Murfreesboro' ,  where,  putting  his  railroad  experi- 
ence into  practice,  he  improvised  twelve  hundred  feet  of 
bridges.  Leaving  Murfreesboro'  on  the  6  th  of  April,  he 
marched  to  Shelby ville;  on  the  10  th  he  was  at  Fayette- 
ville  ;  and  on  the  11th  at  Huntsville,  in  Alabama.  Here, 
again,  the  railway  engineer  supplied  valuable  general- 
ship. Seizing  the  rolling  stock,  he  immediately  sent  out 
two  railway  expeditions,  east  and  west — the  one  to  Decar- 
tur,  and  the  other  to  Stevenson,  on  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  Railroad.  The  expedition  to  Stevenson  he 
conducted  in  person.  Both  places  were  captured,  and 
Northern  Alabama  was  in  Federal  possession,  one  hun- 


28  BIOGE  APHICAL    NOTICE. 

dred  and  twenty  miles  of  the  railroad  being  in  running 
condition,  and  guarded  by  Mitchel's  troops. 

For  this  brilliant  achievement  he  was  made  a  Major- 
General  of  Volunteers,  to  date  from  April  11,  the  day  of 
the  capture  of  Huntsville. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  General  Mitchel  was  ordered  to 
report  himself  at  Washington.  He  was  there  in  person 
on  the  5th.  From  that  time  he  was  waiting  for  orders 
until  September  12th,  when  he  started  for  the  important 
command  of  the  Tenth  Army  Corps,  the  head- quarters 
of  which  were  at  Hilton  Head,  South  Carolina.  He 
reached  there  on  the  16th.  His  coming  infused  new  life 
into  the  department ;  and  he  was  maturing  his  plans  for 
a  grand  movement  when  he  was  called  away  from  earth. 
He  sent  an  expedition  to  the  St.  John's  River,  which 
captured  the  fort,  with  many  heavy  guns  ;  and  also  a 
force  to  Pocotaligo,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the 
Charleston  and  Savannah  Railroad  and  telegraph,  in 
which  it  was  successful.  He  also  drew  Beauregard  out 
of  Savannah  with  twenty-five  thousand  men.  What  he 
further  intended  can  not  be  told ;  but  every  day,  had  he 
lived,  w^ould  have  disclosed  the  character  of  his  projects, 
of  which  these  movements  were  but  the  initiation. 

While  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  and  rapidly- 
maturing  plans,  he  was  attacked  by  the  yellow  fever  on 
Sunday,  the  26th  of  October,  and  died  on  October  30, 
1862,  in  Beaufort,  S.  C. 


BIOGKAPHICAL     NOTICE.  29 

Such,  briefly,  is  the  record  of  his  life:  the  meagre 
recital  is  full  of  valuable  lessons,  and  leads  the  scholar, 
the  patriot,  the  soldier,  and  the  Christian  to  moralize 
upon  the  great  loss  the  country  has  sustained,  while  they 
eulogize  his  genius,  his  talents,  his  virtues,  his  piety, 
and  his  lorry  achievements.  Few  men  of  our  age  have 
exhibited  a  more  extended  genius ;  and  we  know  of  no 
one  who  has  displayed  so  much  energy  in  every  thing 
he  has  undertaken.  His  character  will  bear  minute 
analysis  :  in  every  department  of  labor  he  w^as-  eminently 
successful ;  in  many  he  was  truly  great. 

As  a  man  of  science  Professor  Mitchel  was  an  ardent 
investigator  and  an  eminently  practical  inventor.  Fully 
imbued  with  the  poetry  of  science,  delighting  in  the 
lofty  picturesques  of  astronomic  thought,  abounding  in 
the  rarest  imagery  in  his  public  teachings,  his  truest 
sphere  was  in  the  mechanism  of  the  means  for  scientific 
observation  and  labor.  To  prepare  himself  as  director 
of  the  observatory,  he  had  studied  and  mastered  the 
higher  astronomical  mathematics,  and  was  thoroughly 
conversant  w^ith  the  history  of  the  science.  To  qualify 
himself  as  a  public  teacher,  he  had  resolved  the  most  dif- 
ficult problems  into  such  simple  forms  and  such  lucid 
language  as  to  make  them  clear  to  many  who  had 
regarded  it  impossible  to  comprehend  them.  To  give 
himself  facility  in  observing,  he  had  studied  under 
Professor  Aircy,  the  Astronomer  Royal  of  England,  at 


30  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

Greenwich ;  and  to  understand  the  scientific  relations  of 
astronomy  as  they  appear  in  the  cosmogony  of  the  uni- 
verse, he  had  investigated  those  sister  sciences  wliich, 
while  they  are  distinct  elements  of  the  great  subject,  come 
forward,  in  harmonious  concourse,  to  cast  their  tribute  at 
the  feet  of  Him  who  dictated  the  record  of  Moses. 

As  a  mechanical  inventor  he  may  be  best  presented  by 
placing  in  this  connection  some  account  of  the  principal 
instruments  which  he  created,  for  facilitating  observa- 
tions. 

The  following  description  of  the  Declinometer  is  fur- 
nished through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  G.  W.  Hough,  the 
astronomer  in  charge  of  the  Dudley  Observatory  : 

''  Method  invented  by  Professor  Mitchel  for  deter- 
mini7ig  difference  of  Declination. 

^'The  apparatus  for  observing  difference  of  declination 
consists  of  the  following  : 

"  To  the  axis  of  the  transit  telescope  is  attached  a 
metallic  arm  of  sixty  inches  in  length ;  in  the  lower  end 
of  this  arm  is  screwed  a  cylindrical  pin  bne  eighth  of  an 
inch  in  diameter,  at  right  angles  to  the  arm  and  parallel 
to  the  supporting  axis  of  the  telescope.  This  pin  has  a 
notch  or  groove  (of  the  form  which  would  be  generated 
by  placing  the  vertices  of  two  isosceles  triangles  together 
and  revolving  about  the  perpendicular)  cut  in  the  middle. 

^^  At  a  distance  of  twenty- three  inches  from  the  pin, 
and  in  the  same  horizontal  plane,  is  mounted  in  Y's  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  St 

small  telescope  of  six  inches  focal  length.  The  support- 
ing axis  of  this  telescope  is  parallel  to  that  of  the  transit. 
Underneath  the  center  of  the  small  telescope,  and  con- 
nected Avitii  it,  is  a  short  arm  two  inches  in  length  ,•  and, 
bj  means  of  a  joint,  a  rod  is  connected  "with  the  pin 
before  mentioned. 

' '  Now  w^hen  the  transit  telescope  is  moved  in  zenith- 
distance,  angular  motion  is  given  to  the  small  telescope 
bj  means  of  the  long  arm  and  connecting  rod. 

"The  amount  of  this  motion  is  read  frcm  a  scale, 
placed  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  feet,  and  divided  to  single 
seconds  of  arc.  It  will,  of  course,  be  understood  that 
"we  must  have  some  object  in  the  focus  of  the  small  tele- 
scope with  wdiich  to  compare  the  divisions  of  the  scale. 
We  use  either  a  cross  formed  by  the  intersection  of  two 
spider's  webs,  or  a  single  horizontal  wire. 

'•  In  case  we  wish  to  observe  a  zone  of  greater  width 
than  the  extent  of  the  scale  (30),  w^e  have  a  number  of 
pins,  at  distances  of  30'  apart,  mounted  in  the  arc  of  a 
circle  whose  radius  is  equal  to  the  length  of  the  long 
arm.  We  readily  pass  from  one  pin  to  another,  by  lift- 
ing one  end  o-f  the  connecting  rod  and  attaching  it  to  a 
diflferent  one.  The  divisions  on  the  scale  can  easily  be 
read,  by  estimation,  to  two  tenths  of  a  second  of  arc. 

"  The  tune  required  to  read  the  scale  is  much  less 
than  that  employed  in  reading  one  microscope,  since  at 
the  same  transit  of  an  equatorial  star  we  can  make  from 


32  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

ten  to  fifteen  bisections  and  readings.  As  I  have  found 
one  reading  of  the  scale  nearly  equal  to  four  microscopes, 
it  follows  that  if  we  employ  the  same  time  in  the  obser- 
vation of  an  object  with  the  Declinometer  that  we  do 
when  we  use  the  Circle,  our  results  in  the  former  case 
will  be  superior  to  the  latter  in  a  large  ratio. 

"  The  Zone  observations  with  the  Declinometer  have 
been  made  mostly  for  the  investigation  of  the  source  and 
amount  of  error  due  to  this  method.  From  a  comparison 
of  the  observations  with  those  made  in  the  ordinary  way, 
I  find  the  probable  error,  on  a  single  observation,  falls 
within  the  limits  of  accuracy  usually  assigned  to  observa- 
tions made  with  the  Meridian  Circle.  One  great  advan- 
tage lies  in  the  fact  that  many  bisections  and  readings 
can  be  made  at  the  same  transit,  and  in  this  way  elimi- 
nating the  ordinary  errors  of  observation.  You  will 
understand  the  rapidity  with  which  work  can  be  done  by 
this  method,  when  I  state  that  more  than  two  hundred 
stars  have  been  accurately  observed  in  one  hour;  and 
were  they  equally  distributed,  twice  that  number  could 
easily  have  been  taken. 

"  This  instrument  is  one  of  the  great  inventions  of  our 
late  and  lamented  director,  Professor  Mitchel;  and  is 
the  only  one  in  the  w^orld. 

' '  From  observations  made  during  the  last  two  years, 
and  a  careful  discussion  of  the  results,  I  have  arrived  at 
Ihe  conviction  that  there  ia  no  other  known  method 


BIOGKAPHICAL    NOTICE.  83 

eqiial  to  it,  for  rapidity  and  accuracy^  in  the  cata- 
loguing of  starsP 

Professor  Mitchel's  remarkable  mechanical  skill,  his 
quickness  to  perceive  difficulties,  and  the  readiness  with 
-wbich  he  devised  and  applied  the  remedies,  are  further 
admirably  illustrated  in  his  apparatus  for  recording  time 
bj  means  of  the  electro-magnetic  telegraphs.  These  are 
now  in  use  in  the  Cincinnati  and  Dudley  Observatories. 
His  was  the  first  thorough  solution  of  this  important 
problem  in  instrumental  astronomy.  The  following 
account  of  this  apparatus  is  in  Professor  Mitchel's  own 
words  : 

"The  problem  of  causing  a  clock  to  record  its  beats 
telegraphically,  was  nothing  more  than  to  contrive  some 
method  whereby  the  clock  might  be  made  (by  the  use  of 
some  portion  of  its  own  machinery)  to  take  the  place  of  the 
finger  of  the  living,  intelligent  operator,  and  '-make"  or 
"  break"  the  electric  circuit.  The  grand  difficulty  did 
not  lie  in  causing  the  clock  to  play  the  part  of  an  auto- 
maton in  this  precise  particular,  but  it  did  lie  in  causing 
the  clock  to  act  automatically,  and  at  the  same  lime  per- 
form perfectly  its  great  function  of  a  time-keeper.  This 
became  a  miatter  of  great  difficulty  and  delicacy ;  for  to 
tax  any  portion  of  the  clock  machinery  with  a  duty 
beyond  the  ordinary  and  contemplated  demands  of  the 
maker,  seemed  at  once  to  involve  the  machine  in  imper- 
fect and  irregular  action.     After  due  reflection  it  was 


84:  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

decided  to  apply  to  the  pendulum  for  a  minute  amount 
of  power,  -whereby  the  making  or  breaking  the  electric 
circuit  might  be  accomplished  with  the  greatest  chance 
of  escaping  any  injurious  effect  on  the  going  of  the  clock. 
The  principle  which  guided  in  this  selection  was,  that  we 
ought  to  go  to  the  prime  mover  (which  in  this  case  was 
the  clock  weights,  and  which  could  not  be  employed),  and, 
failing  to  reach  the  prime  mover,  we  should  select  the 
nearest  piece  of  mechanism  to  it,  which  in  the  clock  is  the 
pendulum.  A  second  point  early  determined  by  experi- 
ment and  reflection  was  this  :  that  the  making  or  break- 
ing of  the  circuit  must  be  accomplished  by  the  use  of 
mercury,  and  not  by  a  solid  metallic  connection.  Vari- 
ous methods  were  tried,  and  soon  abandoned  as  uncertain 
and  irregular  in  their  results  ;  and  the  following  plan  was 
adopted  : 

"  A  small  cross  of  delicate  wire  was  mounted  on  a  short 
axis  of  the  same  material,  passing  through  the  point  of 
union  of  the  four  arms  constituting  the  cross.  This  axis 
was  then  placed  horizontal  on  a  mictallic  support,  in  Y's, 
where  it  might  vibrate,  provided  the  top  stem  of  the  cross 
could  be  in  some  way  attached  to  the  pendulum  of  the 
clock,  and  the  "cross"  should  thus  rise  and  fall  at  its  outer 
stem  as  the  pendulum  swings  backward  and  forward. 
The  metallic  frame  bearing  the  '•  cross"  also  bore  a 
small  glass  tube  bent  at  right  angles.  This  was  filled 
v/ith  mercury,  and    into   one  extremity  one  wire  from 


BIOGKAPHICAL    NOTICE.  35 

the  pole  of  the  battery  was  made  to  dip;  the  other 
wire  was  made  fast  by  a  binding  screw  to  the  metallic 
stand  bearing  the  ''cross,"  and  thus  every  time  the 
"  cross"  dipped  into  the  mercury  in  the  bent  >abe,  the 
electricity  passed  through  the  metallic  frame,  up  the  ver- 
tical standards  bearing  the  axis  of  the  cross,  along  the 
axis  to  the  stem,  and  down  the  stem  into  the  mercury, 
and  finally  through  the  mercury  to  the  other  pole  of 
the  battery.  Thus  at  every  swing  of  the  pendulum 
the  circuit  was  made,  and  a  suitable  apparatus  might, 
by  the  electro-magnet,  record  each  alternate  second  of 
time. 

"The  amount  of  power  required  of  the  pendulum  to 
give  motion  to  the  delicate  wire-cross  was  almost  insensible, 
as  the  stems  nearly  counterpoised  each  other  in  every 
position.  Here,  however,  there  was  great  difficulty  in 
procuring  a  fibre  sufficiently  minute  and  elastic  to  consti- 
tute the  physical  union  between  the  top  stem  of  the 
cross  and  the  clock  pendulum.  Various  materials  were 
tried,  among  others  a  delicate  human  hair,  the  very  finest 
that  could  be  obtained,  but  this  was  too  coarse  and  stiff. 
Its  want  of  pliancy  and  elasticity  gave  to  the  minute 
"  wire-cross"  an  irregular  motion,  and  caused  it  to  re- 
bound from  the  globule  of  mercury  into  which  it  should 
have  plunged.  After  many  fruitless  efforts,  an  appeal 
was  made  to  an  artisan  of  wonderful  dexterity ;  the 
assistance  of  the  spider  was  invoked ;  hia  web,  perfectly 


&b  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICE. 

elastic  and  perfectly  pliable,  was  furnishedj  and  this  ma- 
terial connection  between  the  wire-cross  and  the  clock 
pendulum  proved  to  be  exactly  the  thing  required.  In 
proof  of  this  remark  I  need  only  state  the  fact  that  one 
single  spider's  web  ha,s  fulfilled  the  delicate  duty  of 
moving  the  Avire-cross,  lifting  it,  and  again  permitting  it 
to  dip  into  the  mercury  every  second  of  time  for  a  period 
of  more  than  three  years  !  How  much  longer  it  might 
have  faithfully  performed  the  same  service  I  know  not, 
as  it  then  bocame  necessary  to  break  this  admirable 
bond,  to  m:ike  some  changes  in  the  clock.  Here  it  will 
be  seen  the  same  web  was  expanded  and  contracted 
each  second  during  this  whole  period,  and  yet  never,  so 
far  as  could  be  observed,  lost  any  portion  of  its  elasticity. 
The  clock  was  thus  made  to  close  the  electric  circuit  in 
the  most  perfect  manner ;  and  inasmuch  as  the  resistance 
opposed  to  the  pendulum  by  the  "  wire- cross"  was  a 
constant  quantity  and  very  minute,  thus  acting  pre- 
cisely as  does  the  resistance  of  the  atmosphere,  the 
clock,  once  regulated  with  the  "cross"  as  a  portion  of 
its  machinery,  m.oved  with  its  wonted  steadiness  and 
uniformity.  Thus  one  grand  point  was  gained.  The 
clock  was  now  ready  to  record  its  own  beats  automati- 
cally and  with  absolute  certainty,  without  in  any  way 
affecting  the  regularity  of  its  movement.  It  was  early 
objected  to  the  mercurial  connection  just  described,  that 
in  a  short  time  the  surface  of  the  mercury  would  become 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  37 

oxydized,  and  thus  refuse  to  transmit  the  current  of  elec- 
tricity ;  but  experiment  demonstrated  that  the  explosion 
produced  by  the  electric  discharge  at  every  dip  into  the 
mercury  threw  off  the  oxyd  formed,  and  left  the  polished 
surface  of  the  globule  of  mercury  in  a  perfect  state  to 
receive  the  next  passage  of  the  electricity^ 

'•  So  fir  as  known,  all  other  methods  are  now  abandoned, 
and  the  mercurial  connection  is  the  only  one  in  use. 

''  The  Tlme-scale. — The  clock  being  now  prepared  to 
record  its  beats,  accurately  and  uniformly,  the  next  im- 
portant step  was  to  obtain,  if  possible,  a  uniformly 
moving  time-scale,  which  should  be  applicable  to  the 
practical  demands  of  the  astronomer 

"  In  case  the  fillet  of  paper  used  in  the  Morse  telegraph 
could  have  been  made  to  flow  at  a  uniform  rate  upon  its 
surface,  the  clock  could  now  record,  its  beats  appearing 
as  dots  separated  from  each  other  by  equal  intervals. 
But  it  was  soon  seen  that  the  paper  could  not  be  made  to 
flow  uniformly  ;  and  even  had  this  been  possible,  a  single 
night's  work  would  demand  for  its  record  such  a  vast 
amount  of  paper .  that  this  method  w\as  inapplicable  to 
practice.  After  careful  deliberation,  the  '  revolvino* 
disk'  was  selected  as  the  best  possible  surflice  on  which 
the  record  of  time  and  observation  could  be  made.  The 
preference  was  given  to  the  disk  over  the  cylinder  for 
the  following  reasons  :  The  uniform  revolution  of  tlio 
disk  could  be  more  readily  reached.     The  record  on  the 


38  BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTIC^E. 

disk  was  always  under  the  eye  in  every  part  of  it  at  the 
same  time,  while,  on  the  revolving  cylinder,  a  portion  of 
the  work  was  always  invisible.  One  disk  could  be  sub- 
stituted for  another  with  greater  ease,  and  in  a  shorter 
time ;  and  the  measure  of  the  fractions  of  seconds  could 
be  more  rapidly  and  accurately  performed  on  the  disk 
than  on  the  cylinder. 

''After  much  thought  and  experiment  it  was  decided 
to  adopt  'a  make  circuit'  and  'a  dotted  scale'  rather 
than  a  'break  circuit'  and  a  'linear  scale;'  and  I 
think  it  will  be  seen  hereafter  that  in  this  selection  the 
choice  has  been  fully  justified  in  practice.  These  points 
being  settled,  the  mechanical  problems  now  presented  for 
solution  were  the  following:  First,  To  invent  some  machin- 
ery which  could  give  to  a  disk  of,  say,  twenty  inches 
diameter,  mounted  on  a  vertical  axis,  a  motion  such  that 
it  should  revolve  uniformly  once  in  eacli  minute  of  time ; 
and,  second,  To  connect  with  this  disk  the  machinery 
which  should  enable  the  clock  to  record  on  the  disk  each 
alternate  second  of  time,  in  the  shape  of  a  delicate  round 
dot.  Third,  The  apparatus  which  should  enable  the 
observer  to  record  on  the  same  disk  the  exact  moment  of 
the  transit  of  a  star  across  the  meridian,  or  the  occur- 
rence of  any  other  phenomenon. 

"The  first  of  these  problems  was  by  fiir  the  most  diflB- 
cult,  and,  indeed,  its  perfect  solution  remains  yet  to  be 
accomplished,    though,    for    any   practical    astronomical 


BIOGKAPHICAL     NOTICE.  39 

purpose,   the   problem   has  been  solved   in   more   than 
one  way. 

'•  The  plan  adopted  in  the  Cincinnati  Observatory  may 
bo  described  as  follows :  The  clock-work  machinery  em- 
ployed to  give  to  the  great  equatorial  telescope  a  uniform 
motion  equal  to  that  of  the  earth's  rotation,  on  its  axis, 
offered  to  me  the  first  obvious  approximate  solution  of 
the  problem  under  consideration.  This  machinery  was 
accordingly  applied  to  the  motion  of  the  disk,  or  rather 
to  regulate  the  motion  of  revolution,  this  motion  being 
produced  by  a  descending  vreight,  after  the  fashion  of 
an  ordinary  clock.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  the 
'  Frauenhofer  clock,'  as  this  machine  is  called,  was  not 
competent  to  produce  a  motion  of  such  uniformity  as  was 
now  required.  Several  modifications  were  made  with  a 
positive  gain  ;  but  after  long  study  it  was  finally  dis- 
covered that  when  the  machinery  was  brought  into  per- 
fect adjustment,  the  dynamical  equilibrium  obtained  was 
an  equilibrium  of  instability;  that  is,  if  from  a  motion 
such  as  produced  a  revolution  in  one  exact  minute,  it 
began  to  lose,  this  loss  or  decrement  in  velocity  went  on 
increasing,  or  if  it  commenced  to  gain,  the  increment 
went  on  increasing  at  each  revolution  of  the  disk.  Now 
all  these  delicate  changes  could  be  watched  with  the  most 
perfect  certainty ;  as,  in  case  tlie  disk  revolved  uniformly 
once  a  minute,  then  the  seconds'  dots  would  fall  in  such 
a  manner  (as  we  shall  see  directly)  that  the  dots  of  the 


40  BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE. 

same  recorded  seconds  would  radiate  from  the  center  of 
the  disk  in  a  straight  line.  Any  de^nation  from  this  line 
■would  be  marked  with  the  utmost  delicacy  down  to  the 
thousandth  of  a  second.  By  long  and  carcfal  study,  it 
was  at  length  discovered,  that  to  make  any  ch;inge  in  the 
velocity  of  the  disk,  to  increase  or  decrease  quickly  its 
motion,  in  short,  to  restore  the  dynamical  equilibrium, 
the  winding  key  of  the  '  Frauenhofer  clock'  Vy-as  the 
point  of  tlie  machinery  vrhere  the  extra  helping  force 
should  be  applied ;  and  it  was  found  that  a  person  of 
ordinary  intelligence,  stationed  at  the  disk,  and  with 
his  fingers  on  this  key,  could,  whenever  he  noticed  a 
slight  deviation  from  uniformity,  at  once,  by  slight  assist- 
ance, restore  the  equilibrium,  when  the  machine  would 
perhaps  continue  its  performance  perfectly  for  several 
minutes,  when  again  some  slight  acceleration  or  retarda- 
tion might  be  required  from  the  sentinel  posted  as  an 
auxiliary. 

^'  The  mechanical  problem  now  demanding  solution  was 
very  clearly  announced.  It  was-  this  :  Required  to  con- 
struct an  automaton  which  should  take  the  place  of  the 
intelligent  sentinel,  watch  the  going  of  the  disk,  and  in- 
stantly correct  any  acceleration  or  retardation.  This,  in 
fact,  is  the  great  problem  in  all  efforts. to  secure  uniform 
motion  of  rotation.  Tiiis  problem  was  resolved  theoreti- 
cally, in  many  ways,  several  of  which  methods  were  exe- 
cuted mechanically  without  success,  as  it  v/as  found  that 


BIOGEAPHICAL    NOTICE.  41 

the  machine  stationed  as  a  sentinel  to  regulate  the  going 
of  the  disk  was  too  weak,  and  was  itself  carried  off  by 
its  too  powerful  antagonist.  The  folio v.ing  method 
was,  however,  in  the  end,  entirely  successful.  Upon  tho 
axis  of  the  winding  kej,  already  mentioned,  a  toothed 
wheel  was  attached,  the  gearing  being  so  adjusted  that 
one  revolution  of  this  wheel  should  produce  a  whole 
number  of  revolutions  of  the  disk.  The  circumference 
of  this  wheel  was  cut  into  a  certain  number  of  notches, 
so  that,  as  it  revolved,  one  of  these  notches  would  reach 
the  highest  point  once  in  two  seconds  of  time.  By 
means  of  an  electro-magnet  a  small  cyimder  or  roller, 
at  the  extremity  of  a  lever  arm.  was  made  to  fall  into  the 
highest  notch  of  the  toothed  wheel  at  the  end  of  every 
two  seconds.  In  case  the  disk  was  revolving  exactly  once 
a  minute,  the  roller*  driven  by  the  sidereal  clock,  by  means 
of  an  electro-magnet,  fell  to  the  bottom  of  the  notch,  and 
performed  no  service  whatever;  but,  in  case  the  disk 
began  to  slacken  its  velocity,  then  the  roller  fell  on  the 
retreating  inclined  face  of  the  notch,  and  thus  urged  for- 
ward by  a  minute  amount  the  laggard  disk,  while,  on  tho 
contrary,  should  the  variation  from  a  uniform  velocity 
present  itself  in  an  acceleration,  then  the  roller  struck  on 
the  advancing  face  of  the  notch,  and  thus  tended  slowly 
to  restore  the  equilibrium.  Let  it  be  remembered  that 
this  delicate  regulator  has  but  a  minute  amount  of  service 
to  perform.     It  is  ever  on  guard,  and  detecting,  as  it 


42  BIOGKAPHICAL     NOTICE. 

does  instantly,  any  disposition  to  change,  at  once  applies 
its  restoring  power,  and  thus  preserves  an  exceedingly 
near  approach  to  exact  uniformity  of  revolution.  This 
regulator  operates  through  all  the  wheel-work,  and  thus 
accomplishes  a  restoration  by  minute  increments  or  de- 
crements spread  over  many  minutes  cf  time. 

"With  a  uniformly  revolving  disk,  stationary  in  posi- 
tion, w^e  should  accomplish  exactly,  and  very  perfectly, 
the  record  of  one  minute  of  time,  presenting  on  the  re- 
cording surface  thirty  dots  at  equal  angular  intervals  on 
the  circumference  of  a  circle.  To  receive  the  time  dots 
of  the  next  minute  on  a  circle  of  larger  diameter,  re- 
quired either  that  the  recording  pen  should  change  posi- 
tion, or  that  at  the  end  of  each  revolution  the  disk  itself 
should  move  away  from  the  pen  by  a  small  amount.  Wo 
chose  to  remove  the  disk.  To  accomplish  accurately  the 
change  of  position  of  the  disk,  at  the  end  of  each  revolu- 
tion, the  entire  machine  was  mounted  on  wheels  on  a 
small  railway  track,  and  by  a  very  delicate  mechanical 
arrangement  accomplished  its  own  change  of  position 
between  the  fifty-ninth  and  sixtieth  second  of  every 
minute." 

The  foregoing  explanations  are  given  as  a  mere  illus- 
tration of  Professor  Mitchers  mechanical  ingenuity.  To 
the  great  world  he  is  better  known  by  other  and  more 
striking  characteristics. 

As  a  lecturer   Professor  Mitchel  had  a  remarkable 


BIOGRAPHICAL     NOTICE.  4:3 

gift :  his  fervid  oratory  was  natural ;  it  was  the  truest 
exemplification  of  the  trite  but  striking  idea  of  the  poet, 

"  Thoughts  that  breathe,  and  words  that  burn." 

He  could  make  a  dry  problem  in  mathematical  astronomy 
so  pleasing,  by  its  clear  and  eloquent  presentation,  as  to 
enchain  a  popular  assembly  and  extort  their  applause 
both  for  problem  and  lecturer.  His  language,  purely 
extemporaneous,  was  beautiful ;  his  figures  and  illustra- 
tions strikingly  well  chosen ;  and  his  voice  and  manner 
powerful  and  overmastering.  Sometimes  his  fervor 
seemed  like  a  Delphian  inspiration ;  and  there  are  few 
who  will  forget  the  magnificent  effects  produced  by  his 
lectures  on  the  Astronomy  of  the  Bible,  which  are  found 
in  this  volume.  Those  who  heard  him  deliver  them  will 
easily  recall  the  almost  inspired  speaker,  and  hear  again 
in  memory,  the  lectures  as  they  read  them. 

As  a  true  and  whole-hearted  /?a^riof  he  had  no  supe- 
rior. Influenced  by  this  spirit,  he  tore  himself  from 
home  ties,  alas  !  not  capable  of  bearing  the  rude  parting, — 
his  departure  cost  him  his  cherished  wife ;  and  thus  he 
gave  himself  up  to  his  country.  All  his  energies,  all  his 
talents,  his  varied  education,  his  fame,  his  brilliant 
future  ;  whatever  there  was  of  power  or  influence  in  him 
or  his  name,  was  hers,  devoted  to  her  with  a  single  eye 
and  a  single  purpose.  And  he  died  for  her,  as  truly,  as 
devotedly, — shall  wc  not  say  as  gloriously, — as  though 


i4:  BIOGKAPIIICAL     NOTICE. 

he  liad  fallen  leading  a  forlorn  hope  to  turn  disaster  into 
victorj  ? 

But  as  a  soldier  his  whole-hearted  patriotism  was  of 
great  value.  Bred  at  West  Pointy,  and  having  engrafted 
upon  that  thorough  elementary  education  the  knowledge 
of  men,  of  life,  of  practical  science  and  industrial  arts, 
he  was  the  very  beau-iJeal  of  a  genera,!.  Full  cf 
resources,  he  made  bridges  of  cotton-bales  and  fence- 
rails,  and  was  the  first  man  across  to  test  their  preca- 
rious structure.  Restlessly  energetic,  his  mind  passed 
hke  lightning  over  every  part  of  a  plan  or  a  field  ;  his 
quick  glance  caught  the  capabilities  of  a  position ;  his 
experience  provided  whatever  was  needed;  his  surplus 
vitality,  overflowing  his  own  person,  swept  out  among  the 
soldiers  and  put  the  whole  mass  in  motion.  His  great 
personal  bravery  was  a  constant  example  and  incentive 
to  every  man  under  his  command.  Wherever  he  ap- 
peared, there  was  work  to  do :  expeditions,  rapid  move- 
ments, concerted  combinations,  forced  marches.  With- 
out making  too  sweeping  a  remark,  we  may  consider 
General  Mitchel  as  among  the  very  best  of  our  com- 
mandersi ;  and,  had  he  lived,  he  would  have  risen  to  a 
position  in  public  esteem  and  confidence  second  to  none 
in  thb  land. 

As  a  devout  Christian, — not  presented  now  to  the 
world  in  the  mere  statement  of  a  charitable  opinion, 
which  ^ives  ^*  a  good  conscience"  to  every  public  man  who 


BIOGEAPHICAL    NOTICE.  .45 

dies, — but  as  a  consistent,  conscientious,  devout  Christian 
man,  General  Mitchel  is  best  known  to  his  home  and  his 
intimate  friends.  Admiring,  as  they  do,  his  brilliant 
qualities ;  his  learning,  his  genius,  his  military  fame, 
they  recur  with  far  more  comfort  to  the  fact  of  his  holy 
and  fervent  life,  his  daily  communing  with  his  God,  his 
practical  piety,  his  certain  and  holy  hope  of  eternal  life 
through  the  blood  of  Christ. 

No  king  stood  by  his  dying  bed  beseeching  him — 

If  thou  tbink'st  on  Heaven's  bliss, 

Hold  up  thy  hand,  make  signal  of  thy  hope." 

Prompted  by  the  unutterable  thoughts  which  crowded 
upon  him,  he  gave,  unbidden,  such  a  happy  signal,  liter- 
ally holding  up  his  hand,  and  pointing  to  that  world 
beyond  the  skies,  which  was  then  lifting  "its  everlasting 
portals  high"  to  greet  him  with  an  immortal  radiance,  such 
as  even  his  enthusiastic  astronomy  had  never  conceived. 
His  last  words,  brokenly  uttered,  were  taken  down  by  his 
aid-de-camp,  and  they  add  another  to  the  ever-increasing 
and  enduring  testimonies,  that,  when  the  good  man  dies, 
God  alone  is  great,  and  Heaven  alone  is  real  existence. 

General  Mitchel  was,  as  might  be  expected,  the  recip- 
ient of  many  honors,  due  to  his  own  merits.  He  had 
filled  many  offices  and  posts.  A  graduate  of  West  Point, 
he  was  a  lieutenant  of  artillery,  a  lawyer,  a  railway 
engineer,  an  astronomer ;   the  founder  of  one  observatory, 


46  BIOGEAPHICAL     NOTICE. 

the  director  of  two ;  a  Doctor  of  Laws  from  more  than 
one  institution;  a  Fellow  of  the  Rojal  Astronomical 
Society,  and  of  several  other  foreign  societies ;  a  Major- 
General  of  Volunteers.  In  1841,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Boird  of  Visitors  at  the  Military  Academy.  In 
1847  and  1848  he  was  Adjutant-General  of  the  State  of 
Ohio.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  American  Philo- 
Bophical  Society  in  1853. 

H.  0. 

TJXITERSITT   OF   PeNNSYL^aMa, 

Philadelphia,  March,  1863. 


LECTURE    I. 

ASTRONOMICAL  EVIDENCES  OF  THE  BEING  OF  A  GOD. 


LECTUEE    I. 

ASTRONOMICAL    EVIDENCES    OF    THE    BEING    OF    GOD. 

The  topics  upon  the  discussion  of  which  I  am 
about  to  venture,  are  far  different  from  those 
which  have  hitherto  engaged  our  attention.  We 
are  no  longer  to  follow  the  career  of  the  human 
mind,  in  its  efforts  to  trace  the  laws  of  the  phys- 
ical universe.  We  stand  with  the  philosopher 
and  astronomer  on  the  very  apex  of  that  stu- 
pendous pyramid,  which  human  genius  has  reared 
by  the  protracted  labor  of  six  thousand  years. 
We  are  lifted  far  above  the  clouds  of  earth.  An 
interminable  vista,  broad  as  the  universe,  illimit- 
able as  space,  teeming  with  myriads  of  flaming 
orbs,  rises  up  to  meet  our  vision.  We  have  at- 
tained to  a  knowledge  of  the  potent  laws  which 
extend  their  dominion  over  these  countless 
millions.     We    are    permitted    to    examine  the 

"Thrones,  dominations,  princedoms,  virtues,  powers," 

which  fill  the  heavens.     Our  view  sweeps  from 

S 


50      ASTKONOMICAL  EVIDENCES  OF 

the  humble  satellite  which  acknowledges  and 
obeys  the  superior  power  of  the  earthy,  through 
systems,  and  schemes,  and  universes,  whose  vast- 
ness  no  stretch  of  thought  can  comprehend, 
w^hose  numbers  no  arithmetic  of  earth  can  count. 
We  no  longer  seek  to  weigh  these  ponderous  orbs, 
we  seek  not  to  trace  their  wanderings,  w^e  attempt 
not  to  compute  their  reciprocal  influences  or  to 
predict  their  cycles  of  configuration  or  their 
mighty  periods  of  revolution.  We  shall  attempt 
to  rise  far  beyond  and  above  all  these  inquiries, 
and  venture  on  the  far  more  difficult  task  of 
reasoning  our  way  through  these  wonderful  dis- 
plays of  wisdom  and  power,  to  the  ultimate 
source  of  all  wisdom  and  power. 

We  shall  venture  to  inquire  whence  has  sprung 
the  Physical  Universe  ?  what  hand  has  launched 
these  flaming  orbs  in  space  ?  Whose  eye  omnis- 
cient has  traced  out  their  untrodden  paths  ?  what 
hand  omnipotent  upholds  the  stupendous  fabric 
of  Nature  ? 

These  are  themes  of  superlative  grandeur. 
No  mind  can  approach  their  contemplation  with- 
out  an    expansion    of  thought,  an  uplifting  of 


THE    BEING    OF     GOD. 


51 


the  powers  of  the  soul,  a  sensation  resembling 
that  which  swept  across  the  soul  of  our  great 
ancestor,  when  it  was  whispered,  "  Ye  shall  be 
as  gods  ;"  and  there  comes  a  v/ithering  sense 
of  our  own  weakness,  a  consciousness  of  our 
utter  inability  to  scale  these  lofty  heights,  or 
penetrate  the  deep  profound  w^hich  stretches  out 
before  us.  If  called  upon  to  discuss  these 
themes  in  the  presence  of  superior  beings,  the 
Hierarchs  of  Heaven,  resplendent  with  exalted 
wisdom,  it  would  be  utter  folly  to  unseal  the  lip, 
or  move  the  tongue  to  the  utterance  of  one  soli- 
tary thought. 

But  I  address  not  myself  to  angelic  intelli- 
gences, but  to  man,  humble,  trusting,  inquiring, 
teachable  man,  conscious  of  his  own  weakness, 
and  ever  ready  to  receive  with  feelings  of  chari- 
table consideration,  the  humble  efforts  of  those, 
wdio,  like  himself,  are  struggling  to  discover  truth. 

I  have  ventured  then  to  propound  for  examina- 
tion the  following  train  of  investigation  : — Does 
the  Pki/sical  UnivcrsQ  iwoclaim  the  Being  of 
a  God?  Should  this  inquiry  be  affirmatively 
answered,  we  propose  to  inquire,  If  the  God  thiin 


52  ASTRONOMICAL     EVIDENCES    OF 

revealed,  is  the  same  august  and  eternal  leing 
fortrayed  in  our  sacred  hooks.  I  shall  then 
consider  these  sacred  books  in  their  relation  to 
the  determinate  truths  of  science,  to  compare 
their  revelations  of  the  cosmogony  of  the  uni- 
verse with  the  revelations  of  modern  science,  to 
examine  critically  the  astronomical  illustrations, 
allusions,  and  miracles  of  the  historians,  poets, 
and  prophets  of  the  sacred  volume,  and  finally 
to  compare  the  Hebrew  chronology  with  that  of 
the  primitive  nations  of  the  earth.  Such  is  the 
train  of  investigation  to  which  I  would  lead  your 
thoughts,  humbly  premising  in  the  outset,  that  I 
have  most  earnestly  desired,  that  this  task  might 
devolve  on  some  one  far  abler  than  myself  to 
effect  its  almost  impossible  execution. 

If  we  examine  the  globe  we  inhabit  with  any 
degree  of  attention,  we  perceive  its  mighty  sur- 
face, diversified  with  mountain  and  plain,  with 
ocean  and  forest,  and  teeming  with  animal  and 
vegetable  life.  Its  exterior  surrounded  with  an 
atmospheric  envelope  of  subtle  character,  in 
which  and  by  which  all  life  is  sustained,  and 


THE     BEING     OF     GOD. 


without  which  universal  death  would  reign  upon 
the  entire  surfiice  of  the  earth. 

We  find  our  globe  accompanied  in  its  flight 
through  space  by  another  of  smaller  dimensions, 
and  that  each  is  related  to  the  other  by  bonds 
wdiich  are  never  severed.  These  associated  worlds 
are  in  their  turn  linked  to  a  vast  central  orb,  from 
which  they  derive  their  light,  and  heat,  and  life. 
Conjoined  with  these,  and  linked  to  the  same 
grand  center,  we  behold  a  great  multitude  of 
orbs,  vast  in  their  i3roportions,  diverse  in  form, 
differing  in  mass,  all  however  obedient  to  one  all- 
pervading  law,  and  all  moving,  wdth  the  most 
astonishing  harmony,  within  the  regions  of  space 
prescribed  by  this  all-prevalent  law.  Lifting  our 
eyes  above  this  mighty  scheme  of  revolving 
worlds,  we  behold  the  starry  Heavens.  Each 
glittering  point  is  doubtless  but  a  repetition  of 
the  system  with  which  we  are  specifically  allied. 
These  by  aggregations  again  form  grander 
schemes,  clusterings  of  suns  and  systems,  peop- 
ling the  boundless  regions  of  space,  ranging  in 
wonderful  and  overwhelming  prospective,  as  far 
as   human   vision  aided  by  the   most  powerful 


51      ASTRONOMICAL  EVIDENCES  OF 

optic  aid  can  penetrate  the  deep  domain  of  ether. 
Throughout  this  boundless  universe  we  per- 
ceive that  the  most  perfect  harmony  prevails — 
each  one  of  the  countless  myriads  of  worlds, 
moving  with  swift  velocity  in  its  appointed  cir- 
cuit, swaying  and  being  swayed,  but  ever  keep- 
ing its  appointed  orbit,  and  performing  with  strict 
precision  its  admirable  revolution.  There  is  no 
confusion,  no  jarring  of  contending  worlds,  no 
collisions  of  flying  orbs  to  disturb  the  harmony 
of  Heaven. 

Such  is  the  celestial  mechanism,  admirable  in 
its  perfection,  boundless  in  its  dimensions,  over- 
whelming in  its  diversity,  countless  in  its  myriads 
of  parts,  and  yet  one  mighty  unit,  for  whose 
structure  and  being  we  are  called  upon  to  account. 

The  human  mind  has  thus  far  framed  but  three 
hypotheses,  to  resolve  the  enigma  of  this  stupen- 
dous universe  : — 

1.  It  has  been  conceived  that  the  universe  is 
eternal,  without  beginning  and  without  end; 
passing  through  cycles  of  change,  but  returning 
into  itself,  like  the  ceaseless  revolutions  of  the 
planetary  orbs. 


THE     BEING    OF    GOD.  55 

2.  A  second  hypothesis  demands  the  eternity 
of  matter,  and  attributes  the  laws  of  the  universe 
and  its  existent  organization  to  bhnd  fate  or 
chance,  resting  its  perpetuity  on  the  same  un- 
certain foundation. 

3.  A  third  hypothesis  ascribes  the  existent 
universe  to  the  creation  of  an  Eternal  Mind, 
omnipotent,  omniscient,  filling  with  his  presence 
the  universe,  and  upholding  all  things  at  every 
instant  by  his  Almighty  will. 

These  three  hypotheses  now  demand  our  care- 
ful philosophic  and  unprejudiced  examination. 
Let  no  one  be  startled  at  the  boldness  of  this 
discussion.      Truth  is  mighty  and  must  prevail. 

We  commence  then  with  the  first  hypothesis. 
It  is  asserted  by  some  that  the  universe  is  eter- 
nal, that  the  same  sun  which  now  vivifies  the 
earth  has  ever  poured  upon  it  its  flood  of  light, 
that  the  same  moon  which  now  sways  the  ocean 
tide,  has  ever  circled  round  the  earth,  that  the 
same  heavens  which  now  blaze  upon  the  sight, 
have  ever  shone  with  the  same  effulgence,  and 
shall  ever  shine  throughout  the  ceaseless  ages  of 
eternity.     That  the  generations  of  earth  perish, 


56  ASTRONOMICAL     EVIDENCES     OF 

and  are  reproduced,  and  have  been  ever  perishing 
and  being  reproduced  from  all  eternity.  In  the 
examination  of  this  hypothesis,  there  comes  to 
us  but  little  light  from  the  surrounding  orLs  of 
the  imiverse.  It  would  be  difficult  to  prove  that 
these  silent  and  mysterious  worlds,  now  sweep- 
ing through  the  trackless  regions  of  space,  ever 
did  commence  their  w^onderful  career.  We  are 
rather  restricted  to  an  examination  of  that  planet 
which  we  inhabit,  and  our  reasoning  w^ith  refer- 
ence to  its  physical  being  and  constitution,  may 
by  analogy  be  safely  transferred  to  more  distant 
worlds.  If  the  hypothesis  in  question  be  true, 
it  must  account  for  every  phenomenon  of  nature. 
If  it  assert  that  the  w^orld  is  eternal,  then  it  must 
in  like  manner  assert,  that  all  upon  its  surface 
is  eternal  in  its  series,  perishing  indeed,  but  being 
reproduced  in  an  endless  series.  Were  it  then 
possible  to  penetrate  the  inmost  recesses  of  the 
earth,  and  to  read  the  history  of  the  ages  which 
are  past,  in  case  any  traces  remain  of  Avhat 
once  was,  we  might  anticipate  finding  the  me- 
morials of  generations  sweeping  backward  in- 
definitely into  the  womb  of  time.     If  the  earth 


TIIEBEINGOFGOD.  57 

be  eternal,  then  is  its  physical  constitution  eter- 
nal, its  animal  and  vegetable  life  eternal  in  series, 
and  man  in  his  generations,  must  in  like  manner 
be  pronounced  eternal.  In  the  decision  of 
these  fundamental  questions,  we  are  not  left  to 
mere  conjecture.  It  may  be  asserted  that  the 
planets  are  eternal,  and  reason  may  fail  to  dis- 
prove the  bold  assertion,  but  science  has  read, 
with  keen  and  penetrating  glance,  the  past  his- 
tory of  the  revolutions  of  the  surface  of  our 
globe.  Go  to  the  naturalist  and  the  geologist, 
and  they  will  unfold  to  you  the  rocky  leaves  of 
the  earth's  primeval  history.  They  will  carry 
you  backward  by  slow  degrees,  through  a  vast 
series  of  vegetable  and  animal  existence,  until  a 
point  is  reached,  in  this  grand  investigation, 
where  science  plants  her  foot  on  the  primitive 
rock  and  declares,  that  here  is  an  existence  an- 
terior to  every  form  of  animal  or  vegetable  life. 
This  planet  indeed  then  existed,  but  on  its  sur- 
face surged  a  boundless,  interminable  ocean, 
without  shore,  without  life.  Here,  then,  we 
reach  a  most  wonderful  era.  After  the  deposi- 
tion of  these  primitive  rocks,  came  a  series  of 

3* 


/>8  ASTRONOMICAL     EVIDENCES     OF 

phenomena,  more  startling  and  stupendous  than 
even  the  generation  of  the  orbs  of  Heaven.  Life, 
that  mystery  of  mysteries,  bursts  upon  the 
universe.  It,  we  know,  does  not  sweep  dow^n 
upon  us  from  out  the  mists  v/hich  shroud  in 
gloom  the  eternity  of  the  past.  Life  is  the 
offspring  of  time.  In  the  fullness  of  time,  the 
tender  plant,  the  drooping  flower,  a  teeming 
vegetation,  burst  upon  the  world.  These  are 
not  eternal;  backward  we  trace  their  sources 
from  age  to  age  remote,  until  we  stand  at  a  point 
anterior  to  all  such  existence,  and  pronounce 
unhesitatingly,  here  is  the  beginning.  If  this 
be  true  of  vegetable  life,  it  is  more  emphatically 
true  of  animal  existence.  This  too  in  all  its 
classes,  orders,  species,  and  generations  is  the 
offspring  of  time.  Deeply  bound  in  the  solid 
rocks  of  earth,  we  trace  its  existence  from  age 
to  age,  until  the  series  is  exhausted  and  we  again 
pronounce,  here  is  the  beginning;  at  this  point 
sentient  being  first  inhaled  the  breath  of  life ;  at 
this  point  the  c}'o  first  beheld  the  beauties  of 
primeval  nature,  and  the  appetite  first  sought  to 
satisfy  its  cravings  from  the  luxuriant  bosom  of 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  59 

the  mother  of  all  life.  Once  more  we  pronounce 
positively,  that  man  is  the  offspring  of  time. 
Individually  ephemeral,  even  in  his  generations 
he  can  not  assert  the  smallest  claim  to  an  eter- 
nity past. 

A  few  thousand  years  of  his  history  and  of 
that  of  the  race  is  on  record.  During  this  minute 
portion  of  time,  we  are  able  to  trace  with  positive 
distinctness,  the  rapid  and  unequivocal  advances 
of  the  race  in  power,  in  knowledge,  in  wisdom. 
During  this  brief  period,  man's  empire  over 
nature  and  nature's  exhaustless  powers  and  re- 
sources,  has  been  advancing  with  the  most  rapid 
strides.  If,  then,  we  are  to  judge  from  these 
facts,  of  the  origin  of  our  race,  if  the  conver- 
gence of  two  lines  determines  with  certainty 
their  point  of  intersection,  we  are  forced  to  admit 
either  that  the  human  race  is  of  comparatively 
recent  origin,  or  that  it  is  only  within  the  last 
few  thousand  years  that  we  have  attained  to  the 
power  of  advancing  in  wisdom,  and  in  power. 

No,  matter,  however,  where  or  in  what  point 
we  place  the  beginning  of  our  race,  this  begin- 
ning falls  in  time,  and  posterior  to  every  other 


60  ASTKONOMICAL     EVIDENCES     OF 

form  of  life  which  marks  the  surface  of  our 
globe, 

But  all  life  is  linked  indissolubly  with  the 
physical  constitution  of  the  earth.  The  atmos- 
phere is  as  much  a  portion  of  the  planet,  as  the 
solid  parts.  This  atmosphere  is  the  vital  fluid 
on  which  all  animated  nature  depends.  Sweep 
this  covering  from  the  earth,  and  universal  death 
sways  his  empire  over  all  things. 

Again,  life  depends  on  organic  condition,  and 
the  productions  of  earth  give  life  to  the  myriads 
which  inhabit  her  surface.  Strike  these  laws  of 
vivified  production  from  existence,  and  all  ani- 
mated nature  dies.  But  life  is  linked,  in  like 
manner,  to  the  sun.  Shut  out  his  beams,  the 
source  of  all  heat  and  motion,  and  life  soon  lan- 
guishes ;  decay,  darkness,  and  death  are  again 
triumphant. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  even  in  the  order  cf 
nature,  as  exhibited  in  one  single  dependent 
world,  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  assert  an  eter- 
nity of  being,  or  an  endless  and  interminable 
succession  of  events.  Man  is  not  eternal,  ani- 
mal life  is  not  eternal,  vegetable  existence  is  not 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  61 

eternal.  These  all  had  a  beginning,  and  we  are 
driven  from  our  first  hypothesis,  and  forced  to 
admit  that  it  does  not  account  for  the  existent 
phenomena  of  the  Physical  Universe. 

We  now  reach  the  consideration  of  the  second 
hypothesis.  This  asserts  that  the  matter  of  the 
Physical  Universe  is  eternal,  and  that  the  exis- 
tent organization,  in  all  its  interminable  ramifica- 
tions, of  w^orld,  and  sun,  and  system,  in  all  its 
varieties  of  life,  and  being,  and  organic  existence, 
is  attributable  to  fate  or  chance.  It  is,  j^erhaps, 
impossible  to  demonstrate,  or  to  disprove  directly, 
the  eternity  of  matter.  The  mind  does  seem- 
ingly comprehend  the  idea  of  the  eternity  of 
space,  and  were  matter  unorganized  it  might  be 
quite  possible  to  conceive  of  the  eternity  of 
matter.  We  shall,  therefore,  examine  in  the  out- 
set, the  last  assertion  of  this  hypothesis;  that 
the  existent  order  of  universe  being  is  the  off- 
spring of  chance,  or  accident. 

We  have  already  asserted  that  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  universe  is  exceedingly  complex, 
although  subjected  to  the  action  of  one  universal 
law.     No  one  body  in  space  is  isolated  or  inde- 


62  ASTRONOMICAL     EVIDENCES     OF 

pendent.  Each  and  every  one  is  linked  to  all 
others,  and  a  reciprocal  influence  is  exerted 
through  the  boundless  regions  of  space.  Even 
the  subordinate  organizations  are  complex.  Take 
for  example  the  system  of  planets  and  satellites 
dependent  on  our  sun.  Here,  is  a  celestial  mechan- 
ism of  astonishing  "complexity,  yet  of  admirable 
order  and  beauty.  Examine  for  a  moment  the 
multitude  of  concurring  accidents,  required  to 
produce  one  such  system,  and  to  hold  it  steady 
in  all  the  innumerable  configurations  of  its  re- 
volving orbs.  We  call  on  accident  or  chance  to 
account  for  the  selection  of  the  laAv  of  universal 
gravitation,  of  the  laws  of  motion,  of  the  figures 
of  the  planets,  of  the  direction  of  their  motions, 
of  the  courses  of  their  orbits,  of  their  relative 
positions,  of  their  relative  masses,  of  their  rela- 
tive distances.  We  call  on  chance  to  adapt  the 
physical  constitution  of  our  globe,  to  the  susten- 
tation  of  animal  and  vegetable  life.  We  are 
obliged  to  demand  of  chance,  the  structure  of 
the  human  frame,  and  all  its  multiplied  adapta- 
tions to  the  circumstances  by  which  it  is  sur- 
rounded.    But  this  is  all  demanded  in  one  single 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  63 

system.  But  we  rise  still  higher  to  the  contem- 
l^latioii  of  double  and  multiple  suns,  and  yet 
higher  to  the  stable  organization  of  mighty  clus- 
ters of  stars,  all  brought  into  being  by  chance, 
and  accidentally  arranged  for  an  ever-during  per- 
petuity. If  those  who  advocate  the  doctrine  of 
chance  are  governed  by  its  laws,  the  improba- 
bility accumulates  on  their  hands,  as  we  rise 
higher  and  higher,  until  it  amounts  almost  if  not 
quite,  to  an  infinite  improbability,  against  this 
hypothesis  of  accident. 

In  case  Ave  apj)ly  this  doctrine  of  chance  to 
the  investigation  of  one  of  the  simplest  prob- 
lems which  it  is  required  to  resolve,  we  shall  be- 
come convinced  of  its  utter  incapacity  to  account 
for  the  complicated  phenomena  of  nature.  Let 
us  admit,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  that  by 
chance  the  orbs  of  heaven  were  formed,  by 
chance  they  assumed  their  present  figure,  by 
chance  they  came  to  attract  each  other,  accord- 
ing to  the  inverse  square  of  their  distances,  by 
chance  the  subordinate  jJanets  are  hurled  into 
space,  by  chance  these  planets  select  their 
present  beautiful  orbits,  by  chance  these  orbits 


64      ASTRONOMICAL  EVIDENCES  OF 

are  so  located  as  to  eis.clude  the  possibility  of 
interference,  by  chance,  in  short,  all  the  subor- 
dinate organizations  are  completed  around  the 
innumerable  suns,  which  'now,  by  chance,  fill  the 
capacious  domains  of  space.  All  this  is  admitted, 
and  now  we  demand  of  this  same  chance,  to 
account  for  the  present  distribution  of  these  stars 
of  heaven.  Are  the  aggregations  and  configura- 
tions now  existent  the  result  of  accident,  or  does 
mathematical  demonstration  show  them  to  be 
grouped  by  some  power  rising  superior  to  acci- 
dent, and  swaying  an  influence  even  beyond  the 
empire  of  chance  ? 

Even  in  this  narrow,  contracted  domain  of 
accident,  the  profoundest  investigations  have 
banished  this  imaginary  monster  being  from  his 
empire,  and  the  demonstration  is  clear  and  posi- 
tive, that  even  in  comparatively  simple  aggrega- 
tions of  stars,  these  groupings  can  not  be  the 
effect  of  accident,  but  must  be  the  result  of 
some  superior  overruling  law  or  power.  The 
universe  is  not,  then,^an  accidental  arrangement 
of  matter.  Reason  forbids  the  adoption  of  such 
an  hypothesis  in  the  face  of  millions  of  chances 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  65 

to  one  against  the  possibility  of  such  an  organi- 
zation even  in  one  of  its  humblest  departments. 
There  seems,  therefore,  but  one  remaining  hy- 
pothesis for  examination.  If  the  mind  can  not 
reach  to  certainty,  can  not  find  a  resting-place 
in  tlie  belief  of  an  eternal,  an  omniscient  Cre- 
ator, it  is  vain  to  hope  that  there  ever  can  be 
found  a  solid  resting-place  for  the  doubts  ^vhich 
toss  the  human  mind  to  and  fro  on  a  stormy 
sea  of  speculation. 

To  this  last  hypothesis,  then,  we  gladly  invite 
your  attention — the  most  sublime,  the  most  com- 
prehensive, the  most  dignified  and  far-reaching 
of  the  three.  By  it  we  are  lifted  out  of  the 
domain  of  darkness,  from  the  dominion  of  fatal- 
ity, and,  in  case  it  can  be  demonstrated,  our  feet 
are  set  upon  an  eternal  rock.  What,  then,  does 
this  third  hypothesis  affirm  ?  It  affirms  that  the 
existent  universe,  in  all  its  diversified  and  mul- 
titudinous parts,  is  an  effect  dependent  upon, 
and  deriving  its  being  from,  a  great  first  cause. 
That  this  cause  is  eternal,  preexistent,  sentient, 
and  omnipotent,  competent  to  call  into  being  the 
universe  of  matter,  to  endow  this  created  matter 


G6  ASTKONOMICAL    EVIDENCES    OF 

with  certain  qualities  and  properties,  to  select 
with  wisdom  from  among  an  infinity  of  laws 
those  alone  adequate  to  the  government  of  a 
universe,  with  power  to  enforce  eternally  the 
administration  of  these  laws  over  the  organisms 
either  derived  from  the  operation  of  these  laws, 
or  dependent  for  existence  upon  their  pervad- 
ing influence.  In  short,  this  hypothesis  asserts 
that  this  primeval  cause  is  an  infinite  and  eternal 
order-loving,  ever-active  God.  Such,  then,  is 
the  amazing  proposition  we  are  called  upon  to 
discuss  ;  and  may  that  Power,  to  the  recognition 
of  whose  existence  our  feeble  reasonings  have 
led  us,  give  to  us  the  strength  to  lift  your  minds, 
in  like  manner,  upward  through  Nature  to  Na- 
ture's God  ! 

Let  us,  then,  if  it  be  possible,  permit  our 
imaginations  to  wander  backward  through  the 
silent  ages  of  the  past,  until  we  reach  an  epoch 
so  remote  that  we  stand  in  the  midst  of  unten- 
anted space.  The  w^ide  universe  is  nothing  but 
unbounded,  limitless  vacuity.  There  is  room 
for  a  universe,  but  as  yet  no  particle  of  the 
myriads  which  are  to  people  space  have  any  ex- 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  67 

istence.  And  now  conceive,  if  you  can,  of  the 
generation  of  the  first  particle  of  matter ;  there 
it  is  in  the  midst  of  darkness  unfathomable,  sur- 
rounded by  boundless  vacuity.  Left  to  itself 
what  is  to  become  of  this  solitary  particle  ? 
Shall  it  remain  forever  fixed,  immoveable  in  the 
same  absolute  point  of  space  ?  Shall  it  move 
when  there  is  no  motion  ?  Shall  it  sink  when 
there  is  neither  height  nor  depth  ?  Whither 
shall  it  go  ?  Or  left  to  itself,  what  mind  can 
conceive  the  destiny  of  this  primeval  atom  of 
infinity  ?  Here  it  would  seem  that  in  the  very 
outset,  in  the  very  birth  of  matter,  mind  is  im- 
periously demanded  to  endue  matter  with  tlra 
attributes  of  existence.  Look  at  this  inert,  life- 
less, senseless,  motionless  particle  of  matter;  sur- 
round it  by  myriads  on  myriads  as  dull  and  in- 
sensate as  itself,  and  how  utterly  inconsistent  is 
it,  with  all  the  attributes  of  reason,  to  conceive 
that  such  a  mass  can  of  itself  give  to  itself  quali- 
ties and  properties ;  select  for  itself  laws  of 
organization  and  being ;  construct  itself  into  com- 
plex schemes,  and  flying  worlds,  and  wondrous 
systems ;   fill  these  worlds  with  life,  and    light, 


68      ASTKONOMICAL  EVIDENCES  OF 

and  beauty;  and  above  all,  people  them  with 
intelligences,  capable  of  penetrating  the  profound 
mysteries  of  the  universe,  and  of  scanning  the 
most  complex  organisms  which  fill  the  regions 
of  space.  We  are  forced  away  from  such  an 
absurdity  :  against  it  reason  rebels.  Matter,  then, 
has  no  power.  In  vain  do  we  seek  within  it  for 
the  secret  of  its  existence.  To  the  inquiry. 
Whence  come  its  attributes  ?  it  yields  no  re- 
sponse, because  it  has  no  response  to  yield. 
But  grant,  if  you  please,  its  chaotic  existence — 
scatter  it  profusely,  as  far  as  thought  can  pene- 
trate the  deep  profounds — leave  it  without  the 
sustaining  hand  of  Omnific  power, — and  no 
thought  can  fathom  the  future  of  a  universe  thus 
filled.  If  there  be  powers  of  segregation  and 
aggregation  among  the  existent  particles  (an 
impossible  supposition),  then  why  may  not  these 
particles,  fitted  for  the  organization  of  man,  fly- 
ing from  the  four  quarters  of  the  universe,  seek 
each  other,  build  up  the  solid  bones,  knit  the 
tough  muscle,  inflate  with  lifVs  purple  current 
the  vein  and  artery,  mould  into  symmetry  the 
wondrous   form,   and  fashioii.  m^xn  in  the  very 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  69 

womb  of  chaos  wild,  in  the  midst  of  darkness 
profound,  surrounded  by  forms  wilder  than 
imagination  has  ever  pictured  ?  The  mind  re- 
volts from  such  a  supposition,  and  exclaims, 
Strike  from  existence  this  insensate  matter, 
these  .germs  of  Being,  or  place  them  under  the 
controlHng  power  of  wisdom  supreme. 

In  vain,  then,  do  we  seek  any  organization, 
however  defective,  without  a  God.  We  wander 
in  darkness  infinite;  not  a  beam  of  light  illu- 
mines the  gloom  of  eternal  night.  The  mind 
labors  and  struggles  to  rise,  but  plumes  its  wing 
in  vain,  and  beats  vacuity  as  it  struggles  down- 
ward to  a  still  darker  deep.  These,  then,  are 
some  of  the  negative  evidences  of  the  Being  of 
God. 

Let  us  now  examine  more  closely  the  existent 
celestial  mechanism,  and  from  it  learn  its  posi- 
tive teachings  on  this  most  important  subject. 
If  supreme  intelligence  have  superintended  the 
organization  of  the  universe,  then  will  the  evi- 
dences of  this  august  power  be  stamped  on  every 
part  and  portion  of  the  celestial  organisms.  Even 
here  on  earth,  within  the  range  of  the  dominion 


70      ASTRONOMICAL  EVIDENCES  OF 

governed  by  the  intelligence  of  the  human  mind, 
how  infallibly  do  we  pass  from  the  effect  to  the 
cause,  from  the  thing  fashioned  to  the  framer, 
from  the  design  to  the  higher  intelligence  which 
planned  and  executed  the  design.  Who  has 
ever  stood  within  the  portals  of  the  lofty  St. 
Peter's,  that  majestic  temple  of  the  living  God, 
and  gazed  upon  its  vast  proportions,  its  mighty 
columns,  its  interminable  arches,  its  viewless 
dome,  rising  grand,  majestic,  and  overwhelming ; 
who  I  say  has  gazed  upon  those  wonders  of  art, 
without  reverting  to  the  god-like  mind  that  con- 
ceived this  stupendous  fabric,  and  fashioned  its 
vast  proportions  in  beauty  and  in  strength  ? 
Mind  is  there  radiant  in  every  form,  pervading 
every  curve  of  beauty,  beaming  from  every  shape 
of  strength  and  perpetuity.  If  in  this  earthly 
structure,  this  beautiful  atom  on  the  broad  bosom 
of  our  mother  earth,  we  discern  that  which 
bespeaks  the  immortality  of  mind,  w4mt  doth  the 
solid  earth  itself  declare, — radiant  with  power  and 
beauty,  teeming  with  life,  and  not  life's  images,  ver- 
dant with  beauty,  diversified  with  every  variety  of 
grandeur,  roiling  ever  on  its  firm  axle,  irradiated 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  71 

with  a  flood  of  splendor  and  alternately  canopied 
with  jeweled  glories,  sweeping  onward  freighted 
with  its  nine  hundred  millions  of  intelligent 
beings,  its  myriads- of  sentient  creatures,  cuxling 
for  ever  in  its  appointed  path.  Spring-time  and 
harvest,  summer  and  winter  do  never  fail.  There 
is  bread  for  the  eater,  and  seed  for  the  sower. 
Poise  yourself  in  empty  space  and  behold  this 
revolving  world,  with  its  rocks  and  mountains, 
its  forests  and  oceans,  its  life  and  energy  sweep- 
ing by  you,  swiftly  revolving,  and  swiftly  flying, 
growing,  swelling,  expanding,  as  it  approaches^ 
till  as  it  flashes  by  you,  the  imagination  is  over- 
whelmed with  the  amazing  grandeur! 

Is  there  here  no  evidence  of  mind  ?  whose 
hand  fashioned  this  stupendous  globe,  and  filled 
its  mighty  cavities  with  the  heaving  deep  ?  who 
painted  with  glowing  tints  its  limitless  expanse ; 
warm.ed,  and  vivified,  and  fructified  its  teeming 
bosom;  filled  its  surface  with  life  and  energy, 
with  hope,  and  love,  and  happiness ;  launched  it 
flaming  through  the  abyss  of  space,  firm  fixed  in 
its  appointed  course  as  though  linked  by  chains 
of  adamant,  never,  never  to  be  moved  ?     The 


72  ASTKONOMICALEVIDENCES     OF 

swelling  mind  answers,  "  It  is  God,  it  is  God 
alone  !" 

But  this  is  mere  external  examination.  Let 
us  penetrate  still  deeper  into  the  arcana  of  this 
wonderful  exhibition,  and  mark  the  admirable 
adaptation  of  all  its  parts.  Living,  sentient 
intelligence,  seems  to  be  the  grand  aim  of  the 
mighty  architect ; — the  sustentation  of  man,  the 
monarch  of  creation.  For  him  the  earth  teems 
with  fruit  and  flower,  with  the  rich  harvest  and 
the  golden  grain.  For  him  the  fresh  fountains 
leap  from  the  solid  rock,  and  the  cattle  feed  on 
a  thousand  hills.  To  lull  him  to  repose  the  solid 
earth  turns  away  from  the  too  brilliant  sun,  and 
the  gentle  stars  light  the  nocturnal  sky.  To  wake 
him  to  vigor,  the  morning  davv^ns  and  the  light 
of  day,  tempered  by  a  provision  of  admirable 
efficiency,  swells  gentl}^  into  brighter  and  still 
brighter  effulgence,  until  the  full-orbed  sun  bursts 
in  splendor  upon  the  world. 

How  and  by  what  wonderful  contrivance  are 
all  these  results  accomplished  ?  The  life  of  man 
is  dependent  on  the  purity  of  the  wonderful  en- 
velope which  surrounds  the  earth.     Sweep  away 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  73 

this  gauzy  atmosphere  and  he  dies,  and  with  him 
all  life  becomes  extinct.  Even  permit  this  at- 
mosphere to  stagnate,  and  pestilence  fills  the 
earth.  But  how  shall  this  gaseous  ocean  be 
heaved  from  its  mighty  depths  ?  who  shall  fan  the 
breeze,  or  stir  the  wind,  or  rouse  the  sweeping 
tornado?  Look  at  yonder  distant  fiery  globe, 
ninety-five  millions  of  miles  removed  from  our 
earth,  and  who  would  suppose  that  from  this 
distant  orb,  comes  the  mysterious  power  by 
which  this  mighty  aerial  ocean,  the  breath  of 
life  to  man,  to  animal,  and  to  vegetable,  is  stirred 
to  its  profoundest  depths,  and  its  purification 
wrought  out  by  laws  and  influences  of  the  most 
intricate  character. 

And  yet  the  sun  is  ^^  the  prince  of  the  power 
of  the  air."  By  his  heat  operating  through  the 
laws  of  expansion  and  contraction,  mobility 
becomes  the  attribute  of  every  atmospheric  par- 
ticle —  change,  circulation,  ceaseless  motion, 
sometimes  revealing  itself  in  the  gentle  zephyr 
that  plays  with  the  drooping  floweret,  and  anon 
mightily,  in  the  fierce  tempest  which  wrestles 

with  the  gnarled  oak. 

4 


74  ASTRONOMICAL    EVID:eNCES    OF 

Not  only  is  the  remote  but  powerful  sun  the 
"  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,"  but  from  his 
bosom  emanates  that  jet  more  mysterious  influ- 
ence vv^iich  heaves  up  from  the  broad  ocean  those 
vast  vaporous  masses,  which,  swiftly  borne  on  the 
chariot  of  the  bird,  sweep  over  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  distilling  in  gentle  dews,  or  bursting 
forth  in  the  fierce  deluge. 

Here,  then,  are  most  astonishing  adaptations 
— the  sun,  the  earth,  the  ocean,  the  atmosphere, 
the  laws  of  heat,  of  motion,  of  expansion,  of 
evaporation,  of  condensation — all  combining  to 
work  out  the  most  beneficent  influences  for  man, 
the  sole  recipient  of  the  blessings  which  flow 
from  the  harmonious  on-going  of  this  complex, 
but  never-failing  mechanism.  Wonderful  con- 
trivance !  by  whose  power  and  influence  the 
earth  teems  with  the  rich  harvest  and  the 
ripened  corn  invites  the  sickle  of  the  reaper. 
To  perfect  all  this  astonishing  development,  an 
adequate  supply  of  moisture  is  demanded,  an 
adequate  supply  of  light  is  demanded,  an  ade- 
quate supply  of  heat  is  demanded  ;  certain 
qualities  of  soil  are  demanded,  and  above  all, the 


THEBEINaOFGOD.  7f) 

fecundity  of  nature  is  demanded.  Whence  do 
all  these  come?  Whence  these  admirable  means 
to  an  end  ?  The  power  of  human  genius  m.ay 
collect  together  the  material  from  the  four  quar- 
ters of  the  earth,  and  compound  a  fruitful  soil, 
the  same  genius  may  supply  the  required  irriga. 
tion,  but  what  stretch  of  human  power,  can 
supply  the  needed  heat,  or  bid  the  dead  seed 
burst  into  life  ? 

A  further  examination  shows  the  nicest  and 
most  astonishing  adjustments.  In  case  the 
annual  supply  of  heat  were  increased  or  dimin- 
ished by  even  a  single  degree,  the  most  disas- 
trous consequences  would  follow.  An  increase 
or  decrease  of  thrice  this  quantity  would  destroy 
every  form  of  life,  which  now  fills  the  earth. 
That  this  annual  supply  may  be  constant,  look  at 
the  wonderful  complexity  of  contrivance.  The 
great  center,  the  mighty  reservoir  of  light  and 
heat,  is  made  exhaustless ;  pouring  for  ever 
from  its  bosom  a  flood  of  light  and  heat,  borne 
in  the  most  inscrutable  manner  athwart  the 
regions  of  space,  with  a  velocity  overwhelming. 
Thousands   of  years  has  the  light  blazed,   and 


76      A6TK0N0MICAL  EVIDENCES  OF 

splendor  undimmed ;  and  the  heat  flashed 
with  power  undiminished.  The  source,  then, 
is  constant,  though  ever  exhausting.  But  this 
is  not  the  only  requisite.  The  earth,  the  recipi- 
ent of  these  heams  of  heat  and  light,  must  turn 
its  various  faces  to  the  source  of  life — and  here 
another  wonder  breaks  upon  us.  This  sohd 
globe,  with  a  diameter  of  8000  miles,  with  un- 
changed continuity  of  motion,  is  ever  turning  on 
its  Avell-poised  axle.  The  conditions  of  perfec- 
tion require  an  absolute  uniformity  in  the  motion 
of  rotation.  Any  thing  short  of  this  would 
derange  the  economy  of  nature,  and  mar  the 
perfection  of  the  plan.  Amid  the  conflicting 
causes  tending  to  destroy  or  derange  the  uni- 
formity of  rotation,  an  admirable  equilibrium  is 
evolved,  and  so  long  as  time  shall  endure,  day 
and  night  shall  not  fail  in  their  season.  In  this 
particular  the  earth  is  freed  from  the  effects  of 
all  external  power,  subjected  alone  to  the  action 
of  that  primitive  impulse  which  set  it  spinning 
on  its  never  changing  axle. 

While   uniformity  of  rotation  is  an  essential 
element ;     the  equal  and  perfect  distribution  of 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  77 

light  and  heat,  it  is  not  the  only  one  :  a  still 
more  complex  and  difficult  guarantee  is  required. 
The  earth,  in  its  orbitual  movement  around  the 
sun,  must  cling  to  the  primitive  figure  of  its 
annual  orhit.  Slight  changes  are  indeed  admissi- 
ble, but  the  limits  are  narrow,  and  the  wonder 
is  how  may  change  exist  at  all  without  derange- 
ment fatal  to  the  complex  scheme.  Here  we 
find  a  multitude  of  disturbing  forces.  The  moon, 
powerful  by  her  proximity,  sways  the  solid  earth : 
the  interior  planets,  Mercury  and  Yenus,  in  like 
manner  exert  their  influence  :  the  larger  planets, 
Jupiter  and  Saturn,  claim  their  share  in  this 
perpetual  struggle;  the  smaller  planets,  the  re- 
mote satellites,  even  the  shadowy  comets  assert 
their  power,  and  the  earth  is  dragged  by  con- 
tending forces  in  every  possible  direction.  Yet 
are  all  these  contending  powers  so  admirably 
equipoised,  the  one  against  the  other,  that  this 
mighty  globe  flies  through  space,  acknowledging 
in  her  every  movement  the  effects  of  all  these 
differing  causes,  yet  ever  linked  to  her  orbit, 
slowly  changing,  but  never  changed. 

Thus  do  we  see  how  wonderfully  the  various 


78       ASTKONOMICAL  EVIDENCES  OF 

parts  of  this  diversified  scheme  are  knit  together. 
Not  a  blade  of  grass,  or  a  delicate  flower  shoots 
into  life,  that  is  not  dependent  on  the  entire 
organization  of  the  vast  scheme  of  planetary 
worlds,  which  sweep  in  concord  around  their 
common  center.  Does  not  all  this  perfection  of 
plan,  infinitely  ramified  and  diversified,  beautiful, 
perfect,  admirable,  ever  perpetuated,  not  a  link 
(however  small)  wanting  in  the  infinite  net-work, 
spreading  through  every  kingdom  of  nature, 
rising  to  embrace  the  sun  itself  and  its  attendant 
planets, — does  not  all  this  mighty  display  of  con- 
trivance demonstrate  with  irresistible  power  the 
being  of  a  God  ? 

If  we  lift  our  thoughts  above  our  earth  and 
survey  the  various  worlds  which  revolve  about 
our  sun,  the  same  evidence  of  design  meets  us 
at  every  point.  Our  earth  is  one  of  the  hum- 
blest of  all  the  planets.  If  we  visit  the  mighty 
system  of  Jupiter,  such  is  the  vastness  of  its 
celestial  architecture  that  all  we  have  left  behind 
appears  trivial  and  insignificant.  If  we  go  yet 
farther,  and  survey  the  still  more  amazing  sys- 
tem of    Saturn,   with  its   retinue  of   attending 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  79 

moons,  and  its  girdle  of  enigmatical  rings  of 
light,  we  find  displays  of  power  and  wisdom  so 
resistless,  that  if  all  other  worlds  were  stricken 
from  existence,  enough  would  here  remain  to 
demonstrate  the  being  of  a  God.  But  these  are 
not  separate  existences.  They  are  not  quiescent 
orbs  fixed  on  some  unimaginable  foundation  in 
space.  They  are  all  indissolubly  united,  and  ail 
flying  through  space.  Whence,  then,  come  the 
wonderful  laws  of  their  reciprocal  influence,  and 
whence  the  laws  which  curb  their  high  career? 
These  laws  of  reciprocal  action  and  of  motion 
are  the  only  ones,  under  whose  dominion  the 
planetary  scheme  could  exist.  Relax  for  a  single 
moment  the  continuity  of  their  power,  and  chaos 
instantly  engulfs  the  fair  fabric  of  creation. 
Relax  only  the  power  of  gravitation  and  every 
planet  shoots  madly  from  its  orbit;  augment 
ever  so  slightly  its  power,  the  equilibrium  is 
destroyed,  and  world  after  world  sinks  into  the 
sun.  If  in  the  revolution  of  countless  ages,  all 
possible  laws  have  by  chance  held  their  sway, 
and  the  present  laws  have  been  upturned  in  the 
long  range  of  possibilities,  then  we  demand  how 


80  ASTKONOMICAL     EYIDEI^CES     OF 

comes  it  that  they  endure  ?  Why  do  they  not 
give  place  to  other  scliemes  in  their  turn  ?  This 
we  know  is  not  the  fact.  For  more  than  three 
thousand  years  in  the  past  history  of  our  sys- 
tem, there  has  been  no  shadow  of  change  in  these 
mighty  laws  of  nature,  —  unyielding  in  them- 
selves, steadily  have  they  w^rought  out  their 
legitimate  results.  Now  what  are  these  laws  ? 
Are  they  attributes  of  inert  matter  ?  This  is 
impossible.  Go  to  the  chemist,  bid  him  apply 
the  most  powerful  tests,  the  most  subtle  analy- 
sis, and  exhaust  his  powers  of  research,  and 
then  let  him  answer  if  he  have  found  the  essence 
of  gravitation.  In  vain  do  w^e  seek  for  these 
alternates :  we  are  forced  again  to  take  refuge  in 
our  great  hypothesis,  and  to  declare  that  these 
so  called  laws  of  nature  are  but  the  uniform  ex- 
pression of  the  will  of  an  ever-living  God. 

The  uniformity  and  perpetuity  of  these  laws 
alone  furnish  the  opportunity  for  human  intelli- 
gence to  rise  through  their  examination,  in  their 
multitudinous  effects,  upward  to  the  great  source 
of  all  law.  Were  their  action  capricious  or  un- 
certain, no  power  of  genius  could  have  reached 


THE    BEING     OF     GOD.  81 

to  a  knowledge  of  their  existence^  and  darkness 
would  have  ever  shrouded  the  human  mind. 

If  we  extend  our  researches  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  solar  system,  and,  passing  across  the 
mighty  gulf  which  separates  us  from  the  starry 
heavens,  inspect  minutely  the  organizations 
which  are  there  displayed,  we  find  the  dominion 
of  these  same  laws  extending  to  these  remote 
regions,  and  holding  an  imperious  svv  ay  over  re- 
volving suns.  Thus  we  perceive,  that  in  one  most 
important  particular,  the  objects  wdiich  compose 
the  mighty  universe  are  obviously  alike,  and 
seem  to  have  sprung  from  a  common  origin.  We 
are,  moreover,  compelled  to  admit  a  sun  in  every 
visible  star ;  and  if  a  sun,  then  attendant  i^lan- 
ets;  and  if  revolving  planets,  then,  likewise, 
some  scheme  of  sentient  existence,  possibly  re- 
motely analogous  to  that  which  is  displayed  with 
such  wonderful  minuteness  in  our  globe.  Thus 
if  the  being  of  a  God  can  be  argued  from  the 
admirable  adaptations  which  surround  man  in 
this  nether  world,  every  star  that  glitters  in  the 
vast  concave   of  heaven  proclaims,   with   equal 

-power,  this  mighty  truth.    If  we  rise  still  higher, 

4* 


82  AS  TK  GNOMICAL     EVIDENCES    OF 

and  from  the  contemplation  of  individual  stars, 
examine  their  distribution,  their  clusterings,  their 
aggregations  into  immense  systems,  the  fact  of 
their  mutual  influences,  their  restless  and  eternal 
activity,  their  amazing  periods  of  revolution, 
their  countless  millions,  and  their  ever-during 
organizations,  the  mind,  whelmed  with  the  dis- 
play of  grandeur,  exclaims  involuntarily,  "This 
is  the  emjDire  of  a  God !" 

And  now,  how  is  the  knowledge  of  this  vast 
surrounding  universe  revealed  to  the  mind  of 
man?  Here  is,  perhaps,  the  crowning  wonder. 
Through  the  agency  of  light,  a  subtle,  intangible, 
imponderable  something,  originating,  apparently, 
in  the  stars  and  suns,  darting  with  incredible 
velocity  from  one  quarter  of  the  universe  to  the 
other,  whether  in  absolute  particles  of  matter 
shot  off  from  luminous  bodies,  or  by  traces  of  an 
ethereal  fluid,  who  shall  tell?  This  incompre- 
hensible fluid  falls  upon  an  instrument  of  most 
insignificant  dimensions,  yet  of  most  wonderful 
construction,  the  human  eye,  and,  lo !  to  the 
mind  what  wonders  start  into  being.  Pictures 
of  the  most  extravagant  beauty  cover  the  earth ; 


THEBEINGOFGOD.  83 

clouds  dipped  in  the  hues  of  heaven  fill  the  at- 
mosphere; the  sun,  the  moon,  the  planets,  come 
up  from  out  of  the  deeps  of  space,  and  far  more 
amazing  still,  the  distant  orbs  of  heaven,  in  their 
relative  magnitudes,  distances  and  motions,  are 
revealed  to  the  bewildered  mind.  We  have  only 
to  proceed  one  step  further,  and  bringing  to  the 
aid  of  the  human  eye,  the  auxiliary  power  of  the 
optic  glass,  the  mind  is  brought  into  physical 
association  with  objects  which  inhabit  the  con- 
fines of  penetrable  space.  We  take  cognizance 
of  objects  so  remote,  that  even  the  flashing  ele- 
ment of  light  itself,  by  which  they  are  revealed, 
flies  on  its  errand  ten  times  ten  thousand  years 
to  accomplish  its  stupendous  journey. 

Strike  the  human  eye  from  existence,  and  at 
a  single  blow,  the  sun  is  blotted  out,  the  planets 
fade,  the  heavens  are  covered  with  the  blackness 
of  darkness,  the  vast  universe  shrinks  to  a  nar- 
row compass  bounded  by  the  sense  of  touch 
alone. 

Such,  then,  is  the  organization  of  the  universe, 
and  such  the  means  by  which  we  are  permitted 
to  take  cognizance  of  its  existence  and  pheno- 


84  ASTRONOMICAL     EVIDENCES. 

mena.  If  the  feeble  mind  of  man  has  achieved 
victories  in  the  natural  world — if  his  puny  struc- 
tures, which  have  survived  the  attacks  of  a  few 
thousand  years,  proclaim  the  superiority  of  the 
intelhgence  of  his  mind  to  insensate  matter — ^if 
the  contemplation  of  the  works  of  art  and  the 
triumphs  of  human  genius,  swells  us  into  admir- 
ation at  the  power  of  this  invisible  spirit  that 
dwells  in  mortal  form, — what  shall  be  the  emo- 
tions excited,  the  ideas  inspired,  by  the  contem- 
plation of  the  boundless  universe  of  God  ? 


LECTUEE     II. 

THE  GOD  OF  THE  (JNIVEKSE  IS  JEHOYAH. 


LECTURE    II. 

THE   GOD    OF   THE   UNR^EESE   IS   JEPIOYAH. 

The  sacred  Scriptures  teach  us,  in  the  most 
unequivocal  language,  the  unity  of  God,  the  maj- 
esty and  grandeur  of  his  kingdom.  Jehovah 
inhabiteth  eternity,  and  filleth  immensity  by  his 
presence.  By  his  word  the  worlds  were  made, 
and  by  his  power  he  upholdeth  all  things. 
Omnipotent,  omniscient,  omnipresent,  he  is  "  God 
over  all,  blessed  for  ever." 

Such  is  the  language  of  revelation, — such  the 
truths  taught  by  our  sacred  volume.  If  these 
are  the  declarations  of  God  himself — and  the 
same  Almighty  Being  has  built  the  physical 
universe — the  revelations  of  science  must  accord 
with  those  of  Scripture,  and  we  shall  find  the 
attributes  of  God  stamped  in  characters  indelible 
on  the  workmanship  of  his  hands. 

Does  the  material  universe  declare  the  unity 
of  God  ?      Is  the  domain  of  nature  divided  or 


88  THE     GOD     OF    THE    UNIVERSE 

divisible  ?  Is  there  evidence,  in  the  building  of 
the  mighty  fabric  of  the  universe,  that  it  has 
been  planned  and  executed  by  one  mind  and  by 
one  hand  ? 

The  development  of  our  knowledge  of  the 
material  heavens,  has  been  progressive  from  cen- 
tury to  century.  The  deeper  the  human  mind 
has  penetrated  into  the  arcana  of  nature,  the 
more  positive  does  the  evidence  become,  with 
reference  to  its  origin  and  government.  In  the 
primitive  ages  of  the  w^orld,  while  yet  the  light 
of  science  had  scarcely  dawned  upon  the  human 
intellect,  when  the  heavens  were  a  maze  of  won- 
der, and  their  golden  hieroglyphs  a  mystery  and 
a  marvel,  human  genius  could  not  have  risen 
through  this  unknown  empire,  up  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  attributes  of  God.  Whatever  de- 
ductions we  may  now  reach  in  our  researches, 
no  one  will  venture  for  one  moment  to  assert 
that  the  sacred  writers,  by  the  same  means, 
reached  to  their  notions  of  the  being  and  attri- 
butes of  God. 

If  we  examine  the  system  which  surrounds 
the  sun,  we  fmd  a  multitude  of  worlds,  possess- 


IS    JEHOVAH.  89 

ing  general  characteristics.  They  are  generally 
globular,  they  are  in  motion,  they  describe  orbits 
of  specific  forms  allied  to  each  other,  they  are 
all  powerfully  influenced  by  the  sun,  and  they 
materially  affect  each  other.  The  matter,  then, 
v/hich  constitutes  these  worlds  and  the  sun 
itself,  seems  to  be  identical  in  one  of  its  great 
characteristics.  When  the  capacious  intellect  of 
Newton  reached  the  grand  conclusion,  that  one 
law  swayed  its  dominion  over  planet,  and  satel- 
lite, and  comet, — when  he  demonstrated  that  the 
most  solid  and  the  most  evanescent  bodies  w^ere 
obedient  to  the  great  principle  of  attraction, — by 
a  generalization  as  sublime  as  it  was  daring,  he 
rose  to  the  declaration,  that  every  particle  of 
matter  in  the  universe  attracted  every  other  par- 
ticle, by  a  power  which  diminished  as  the  square 
of  the  distances  between  the  particles  increased. 
Here,  then,  is  a  statement  which,  if  it  be  true, 
demonstrates,  in  the  most  positive  manner,  that 
the  matter  of  which  the  worlds  are  built  is  iden- 
tical in  character.  But  again,  the  laws  which 
govern  moving  bodies  on  earth  are  extended  to 
those  which  inhabit  space ;  and  when  the  watch- 


90  THE    GOD    OF    THE    UNIVERSE 

ings  of  a  thousand  years  had  revealed  the  uni- 
versality of  the  application  of  these  laws  to  the 
worlds  which  constitute  the  cortege  of  the  sun, 
the  same  bold  generalization  carried  these  same 
laws  to  the  fixed  stars,  and  attempted  to  fasten 
their  dominion  on  every  particle  of  matter.  It 
will  be  seen  at  once  that  these  mighty  proposi- 
tions are  far  from  being  self-evident.  Their 
demonstration  is  the  reward  of  long  centuries  of 
ardent,  and  earnest,  and  patient  investigation. 
These  laws  were  first  fastened  on  the  moon ;  next 
the  planets,  slowly,  and  one  by  one,  in  their 
near  proximity  to  the  sun,  and,  also,  in  their 
vast  orbits  deep  buried  in  space,  yielded  to  the 
empire  of  these  potent  laws ;  and,  finally,  the 
mysterious  comet,  aerial,  chaotic,  capricious  in 
its  eccentric  career,  was  demonstrated  to  yield  to 
the  same  potent  sway. 

This  w^as,  doubtless,  a  grand,  achievement  thus 
to  prove,  that  in  one  great  scheme  of  associated 
worlds  there  was  unity  of  design,  unity  in  mat- 
ter, and  unity  in  law.  But  this  system,  vast  as 
it  is,  embracing  within  its  domain  a  sweep  of  no 
less  than  ten  thousand  millions  of  miles,  is  but 


ISJEHOYAH.  91 

an  infinitesimal  portion  of  the  universe  of  God. 
Is  it  possible  to  reach  to  the  starry  heavens, 
passing  the  gulf  of  space  which  separates  us 
from  these  far-distant  worlds,  and  fasten  the 
same  laws  which  rule  in  our  system,  upon  the 
myriads  of  orbs  which  crowd  the  domain  of  space? 
It  is  j^nly  within  a  few  years  that  this  great 
achievement  has  been  accomplished.  Among 
the  stars  some  have  been  found  in  such  near 
proximity,  that  their  true  character  is  only  re- 
vealed by  the  most  powerful  telescopes.  While 
to  the  unaided  eye,  and,  indeed,  in  inferior  in- 
struments, they  appear  as  single  stars,  a  higher 
power  discovers  them  to  consist  of  two  individual 
objects,  in  such  close  proximity  of  position,  that 
their  mingled  rays  are  only  to  be  divided  by  the 
most  potent  optical  aid. 

These  objects,  within  the  last  half  century, 
have  attracted  the  attention  of  eminent  philos- 
ophers, and  the  most  astonishing  phenomena 
have  been  revealed.  These  double  suns  have 
been  seen  to  move — they  are  known  to  revolve ; 
and  the  laws  of  their  motion  and  revolution  are 
identical  with  those  which  govern  the  planetary 


92  THE     GOD     OF     THE    UNIVERSE 

orbs  which  sweep  round  the  sun.  There  is  no 
deception  here.  Their  orbits  have  been  com- 
puted, their  periods  and  places  predicted  on  the 
hypothesis  that  the  laws  of  motion  and  gravita- 
tion extended  their  empire  over  these  starry- 
worlds^  and  in  every  particular  have  these  bold 
predictions  been  verified.  How  deeply,  then,  has 
science  penetrated  the  dominion  of  these  laws  of 
nature  !  The  distance  is  not  to  be  measured  by 
the  unit  employed  in  the  survey  of  the  sun's 
domain.  In  one  instance,  in  which  science  has 
figured  the  orbits,  prophesied  the  periods,  weighed 
the  masses,  measured  the  distance  of  two  asso- 
ciated suns,  their  distance  from  earth  is  such 
that  their  light,  flying  at  the  rate  of  twelve 
millions  of  miles  in  each  minute,  reaches  us  only 
after  a  journey  of  ten  years.  This  is  not  a  soli- 
tary instance.  Many  of  a  like  character  have 
been  thoroughly  investigated,  and  with  like 
results. 

We  may  affirm,  then,  with  safety  and  cer- 
tainty, that  the  countless  millions  of  orbs  which 
constitute  the  universe,  are  all  fashioned  from 
the  same  material,  and  are  all  in  subjection  to  the 


IS    JEHOVAH.  93 

dominion  of  the  laws  of  motion  and  gravita- 
tion. As  the  scheme  is  one,  as  the  matter  is 
one,  as  the  laws  are  the  same,  so  one  mind  hath 
conceived  the  infinite  plan,  and  one  hand  hath 
wrought  out  the  magnificence  of  creation. 

But  the  Scriptures  disclose  the  OmnipoiencCj 
of  God ;  he  hath  created  all  things  by  his  wis- 
dom, and  by  the  might  of  his  power.  To  the 
mind  which  fully  comprehends  the  structure  of 
the  heavens,  the  power  of  the  Almighty  archi- 
tect is  most  signally  displayed :  a  superficial 
examination  may  not  thus  impress  us.  We  wit- 
ness from  month  to  month  the  revolution  of  the 
moon  about  the  earth,  and  from  year  to  year 
their  conjoined  revolution  about  the  sun  \  we 
trace  the  planets  in  their  harmonious  career ;  all 
is  so  simple,  so  beautiful,  that  the  idea  of  the 
display  of  vast  power  does  not  at  first  come 
dow^n  upon  the  mind. 

But  let  us  for  one  moment  contemplate,  at 
nearer  distance,  these  ponderous  orbs.  Examine, 
if  you  please  our  owai  earth,  one  of  the  smallest 
of  them,  and  you  find  a  solid  globe  of  8000 
miles  in  diameter,  possessing  a  weight  so  enor- 


94  THE     GOD    OF    THE    UNIVEKSE 

mous,  that  any  and  all  the   structures  of  men 
upon  its  surface,  smk  to  utter  insignificance  in 
the  comparison,  and  weigh  as  the  small  dust  of 
the  balance.     And  yet,  go  to  the  Pyramids  of 
Egypt,   and   contemplate   those   heavy  relics  of 
antiquity :  how  do    their  vast  proportions,    the 
solid   rocks    which    constitute    their   mass,    ele- 
vate our  ideas  of  the  power  which  reared  these 
huge  fabrics.     But  these  are  stationary.     Could 
they  be  hurled  with  swift  velocity,  from  their 
solid  bases,  by  some  mighty  catapult,  into  space, 
never  again  to  revisit  the  earth,  our  ideas  of  the 
power  requisite  to  such  a  phenomenon  would  be 
greatly  enlarged.     Man,  by  superior  wisdom,  and 
by  the  exercise  of  that  intellect  which  God  has 
given,   has   gained  a  certain  mastery  over  the 
potent  forces  of  nature ;  hence,  we  witness  with 
amazement,  the  fiery  trains,  which,  with  incredi- 
ble velocity,  fly  upon  the  iron  ways   built  for 
their  appointed  tracks.    What  stupendous  power 
is  developed  in  this  fiery  car  of  earth  !     We  in- 
voluntarily shrink  from  its  approach,  and  tremble 
as  it  dashes  by  us,  flying  v\^ith  a   speed  of  sixty 
miles  in  a   single  hour  of  time.     But  what  are 


18    JEHOYAH.  95 

these  atoms  compared  with  the  solid  earth  itself, 
and  what  the  display  of  power  here,  when  com- 
pared with  that  which  launched  this  mighty 
globe,  with  its  continents  and  oceans,  into  space, 
and  hath  dashed  it  with  a  velocity  such  that  its 
hourly  journey  is  sixty-eight  thousand  miles  ? 
Or  look  yet  higher  to  God's  fiery  car,  the  sun, 
linked  to  a  thousand  revolving  worlds !  onward 
its  mighty  mass,  a  million  of  miles  in  diameter, 
sweeps  through  space,  bearing  with  it  its  retinue 
of  flaming  worlds. 

God's  mighty  arm  hath  projected  these  stu- 
pendous orbs,  and  his  omnipotent  power  alone 
hath  impressed  upon  them  their  amazing  velocity. 
It  is  not  possible  to  escape  from  this  conclusion, 
by  arguing  the  laws  of  motion  and  attraction. 
These  are  but  the  modes  in  which  God  exercises 
his  power,  they  are  not  the  power  itself  Let 
some  gigantic  arm  reach  out  and  attempt  to  arrest 
the  moon  ;  were  the  trial  possible,  were  the  power 
of  every  human  arm  concentrated  into  one,  even 
the  power  of  the  thousands  of  generations  which 
have  peopled  the  earth,  even  this  combined  and 
concentrated  power  could  not  check  this  puny 


96  THE     GOD     OF     THEUNIVEIiSE 

orb  of  heaven  for  one  single  moment  in  its  swift 
career. 

Again,  wliat  mighty  force  restrains  the  planets 
in  their  orbits  ?  There  is  no  one  who  is  not 
familiar  with  the  force  develoi^ed  in  all  revolving 
bodies.  If  a  globe  be  attached  to  one  extremity 
of  a  cord,  while  the  other  is  retained  in  the  hand, 
the  moment  the  globe  is  set  revolving  it  com- 
mences a  struggle  to  break  the  cord,  and  free 
itself  from  the  restraining  hand.  As  the  velocity 
of  revolution  increases,  so  does  this  developed 
tendency  to  fly  from  the  center  increase.  If, 
then,  a  planet  were  located  in  space,  at  its  appro- 
priate distance  from  the  sun,  and  receive  an  im- 
pulse capable  of  impressing  on  it.  the  velocity 
due  to  its  orbit,  unrestrained  by  any  central 
power,  it  would  fly  from  its  orbit  and  dart  on- 
ward for  ever  through  space  in  a  dh^ect  line, 
never  turning  to  the  right  hand  or  the  left. 
What  tremendous  power,  then,  is  necessary  to  bind 
these  mighty  worlds  into  their  circling  orbits ! 
It  is  again  useless  to  say  that  this  is  accom- 
plished by  the  power  of  the  sun.  Matter  is  inert, 
it  can  have  no  power  save  what  God  shall  give. 


IS    JEHOVAH.  97 

As  well  might  we  declare  that  it  is  the  power  of 

the  bone  and  muscle  of  the   brawny  arm  of  the 

smith,  that  wields  the  ponderous  sledge.     Sever 

that  same  powerful  arm  from  the  body,  the  form 

is  retained,  the  muscle  and   bone  are  there,  but 

mind,  the  animating  principle,  is  gone,  and  at  the 

instant  of  its  departure  all  power  is  dead.     So 

sever  the  sun  from  the  will  of  God,  and  in  that 

vast  aggregation  of  matter  all  power   dies,  its 

light  fades,  and  the  planets,  loosed  from  God's 

centrolling  power,  fly  madly  through  the  abyss 

of  space. 

Nothing  short  of  Omnipotence  can  hold  these 

flying  worlds.     These    are,    however,    but    the 

merest    atoms   of  creation;  all   their    combined 

masses  flung  into  the  sun  would  scarcely  augment 

his  bulk  by  an  appreciable  quantity ;  and  yet  this 

mighty  mass,  the  sun  itself,  is  no  more  quiescent 

than  its  attending  satellites.     It,  too,  is  flying 

through  space,  impelled  and  guided  by  the  same 

Omnipotent  hand.     Stretching  yet  farther  into 

creation,  we  behold  an  amazing  scene.     Not  a 

solitary  star  that  fills  the  concave  is  at  rest  ,*  all, 

all,  from  the  blazing  Sirius  to  the  faintest  particle 
5 


98  THE     GOD    OF    THE     TNIVERSE 

of  star-dust  revealed  by  telescopic  art,  are 
careering  onward  through  immensity.  System 
rising  above  sytem ;  cluster  above  cluster ;  uni- 
verse above  universe ;  moving  with  majestic 
grandeur;  all  held  by  the  right  hand  of  God 
omnipotent.  "  He  ruleth  in  the  armies  of  heaven, 
and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth." 

It  is,  perhaps,  less  difficult  to  affirm  the 
almighty  power  of  the  Architect  of  the  Universe, 
than  to  demonstrate  that  in  wisdom  supreme  has 
he  reared  this  stupendous  fabric.  The  mind  is 
far  more  easily  and  obviously  impressed  with  the 
evidences  of  power  than  of  wisdom.  Just  as 
the  resistless  poAver  of  the  steam-car  forces  itself 
upon  our  minds  through  the  senses,  while  the 
evidence  of  the  wisdom  displayed  in  its  complex 
structure,  can  only  be  derived  from  the  steady 
application  of  the  higher  faculties  of  the  mind ; 
so  a  superficial  examination  of  God's  universe, 
demonstrates,  through  the  senses,  his  eternal 
power,  while  nothing  short  of  a  comprehension 
of  the  celestial  mechanism,  can  reveal  the  wis- 
dom supreme  displayed  in  its  organization  and 
arrangement. 


IS    JEHOVAH.  99 

Nothing  short  of  a  knowledge  of  the  true  sys- 
tem of  the  universe,  can  demonstrate  the  wisdom 
of  God.  There  was  a  time  when  the  human 
mind,  vain  of  its  penetration,  conceived  it  had 
reached  the  true  renderiuG:  of  heaven's  hicrh 
record.  Cycle  and  epi-cycle,  equant  and  deferent, 
marked  with  terrible  and  cumbrous  complexity, 
the  movements  of  the  celestial  orbs,  until  even 
mortal  genius  rebelled,  and  boldly  (if  not  blas- 
phemously) asserted,  that  if  this  w^ere  an  evi- 
dence of  the  wisdom  of  God,  his  mind  could  have 
better  counseled  this  imagined  omniscience. 

Since,  however,  we  have  reached  to  a  tru^ 
knowledge  of  the  celestial  architecture,  the  mind, 
the  deeper  it  penetrates,  is  the  more  powerfully 
impressed  with  the  wisdom,  vast,  comprehensive, 
infinite,  eternal,  in  which  and  through  which  the 
worlds  w^ere  made. 

Let  us  again  call  to  mind  the  organization  of  our 
solar  system.  In  the  center  is  located  the  control- 
ling orb.  At  varying  distances  from  this  com- 
mon center,  a  multitude  of  worlds  are  revolving 
in  reentering  curves  until  the  most  remote  in- 
cludes   in    its  capacious  orbit,    an    area    whose 


IQQ  THE     GOD     OF    THE    TNIVEKSE 

diameter  is  60,000  millions  of  miles.  These 
globes  are  to  be  so  arranged,  that  while  each 
one  is  subjected  to  the  influence  of  every  other, 
yet  their  pathways  shall  never  suffer  a  change 
beyond  narrow  and  prescribed  limits.  Their 
orbits  shall  ever  expand  and  contract,  their 
velocities  shall  ever  increase  and  diminish,  the 
planes  of  their  motion  shall  ever  rock  to  and  fro ; 
but  at  no  period  in  the  ages  which  are  to  come, 
shall  any  change  so  accumulate  as  to  affect  the 
equilibrium  of  this  complicated  system.  If  about 
the  sun  it  were  required  to  launch  a  single  planet, 
it.  might  not  be  difficult  to  determine  the  direc- 
tion and  power  of  the  primitive  impulse,  required 
to  produce  a  determinate  result.  Indeed,  release 
the  planets  and  their  satellites  from  the  disturb- 
ing influences  of  each  other,  and  it  would  not 
then  be  impossible  to  achieve  the  resolution  of  the 
problem  of  a  perfect  and  everlasting  equilibrium. 
But  this  is  not  the  condition  of  the  problem  in 
nature.  There  is  but  one  God,  so  there  is  but 
one  kind  of  matter.  If  the  will  of  God  energize 
the  material  of  the  sun,  so  does  it  equally  ener- 
gize   the    material  of  every  planet.     While   to 


IS     JEHOVAH.  [01 

finite  minds  complexity  reigns,  to  the  infinite 
intelligence,  the  oneness  of  matter,  the  unity  of 
law,  form  the  essence  and  perfection  of  simplicity. 
Let  us  proceed,  then,  in  the  examination  of 
this  suhhme  problem.  Let  a  power  be  delegated 
to  a  finite  spirit,  equal  to  the  projection  of  the 
most  ponderous  f)!^!^^^  in  its  orbit,  and  from 
God's  exhaustless  magazine,  let  this  spirit  select 
his  grand  central  orb.  Let  him  with  puissant 
arm  locate  it  in  space,  and  obedient  to  his  man- 
date, there  let  it  remain  for  ever  fixed.  He 
proceeds  to  select  his  planetary  globes  which  he 
is  now  required  to  marshal,  in  their  appropriate 
order  of  distance  from  the  sun.  Ileed  well  this 
distribution,  for  should  a  single  globe  be  mis- 
placed, the  divine  harmony  is  destroyed  for  ever. 
Let  us  admit  that  finite  intelligence  may  at 
length  determine  the  order  of  combination ;  the 
mighty  host  is  arrayed  in  order.  Nearest  the 
center  is  located  the  brilliant  Mercury,  and  then 
the  orb  of  Venus.  Next  stands  this  terrene 
globe,  and  beyond,  the  fiery  Mars,  and  then  a 
wondrous  group  of  minute  worlds,  far  within  the 
circling  orb  of  Jupiter  is  placed.     Beyond  Jupi- 


102  THE     GOD     OF    THE    UNIYEESE 

ter  stands  Saturn  with  his  rings ;  still  more  re- 
mote is  seen  Uranus,  and  farthest  of  all  Neptune 
stands  sentinel  on  the  outposts  of  this  grand 
array.  In  one  vast  line  of  continuity,  these 
worlds  like  fiery  coursers,  stand  waiting  the 
command  to  fly.  But,  mighty  spirit,  heed  well 
the  next  grand  step  ;  ponder  well  the  direction 
in  w^hich  thou  wilt  launch  each  waiting  world  ; 
wxigh  well  the  mighty  impulse  soon  to  be  given, 
for  out  of  the  myriads  of  directions,  and  the 
myriads  of  varying  impulsive  forces,  there  comes 
but  a  single  combination  that  will  secure  the 
perpetuity  of  your  complex  scheme.  In  vain 
does  .the  bewildered  finite  spirit  attempt  to 
fathom  this  mighty  depth.  In  vain  does  it  seek 
to  resolve  the  stupendous  problem.  It  turns 
away,  and  while  endued  with  omnijDotent  power, 
exclaims,  "  Give  to  me  infinite  wisdom,  or  relieve 
me  from  the  impossible  task !" 

Here  w^e  have  presented  the  simplest  possible 
problem.  Add  to  the  earth  its  moon,  to  Jupiter 
his  four  satelites  ;  to  Saturn  its'  wondrous  rings, 
and  eight  revolving  worlds  ;  complicate  the  prob- 
lem witli  ten  thousand  fiery  comets ;  God  has 


IS    JEHOVAH.  103 

computed  the  perturbations  of  this  complex  sys- 
tem, through  all  its  infinite  configurations  ;  through 
infinite  ages  which  are  past,  and  through  endless 
ages  which  are  to  come.  It  is  useless  to  rise 
to  schemes  of  yet  greater  difficulty,  for  we  must 
be  satisfied,  that  nothing  short  of  omniscience 
could  have  constructed  a  system  so  involved,  so 
complex,  and  yet  so  perfect,  in  all  its  multitudin- 
ous parts. 

And  yet  how  utterly  insignificant  does  this 
appear,  when  compared  with  the  marshaling  of 
the  mighty  host  of  heaven.  Look  up  to  that 
wondrous  zone,  begirt  with  blazing  stars,  scat- 
tered by  millions  throughout  its  populous  domain. 
Here  is  a  combination  so  vast,  so  profound,  so 
multitudinous,  that  imagination  fails  to  grasp  its 
mighty  boundaries,  and  yet  all  is  in  motion. 
Each  one  of  these  myriads  has  its  appointed 
track  ;  the  wisdom  of  God  hath  looked  through 
the  wondrous  maze  from  the  beginning,  and  lo! 
even  to  the  final  period  of  all  things,  perfection 
reigns. 

We  rise  to  a  third  attribute  of  Jehovah,  de- 
clared in  the  sacred  writings.     God  is  unchange- 


104  THE     GOD    OF    THE     UNIYEESE 

able  J  "  the  same  yesterday,  to  day,  and  for  ever." 
If  this  be  the  teaching  of  revelation,  it  is  no  less 
the  teaching  of  science.  But  for  this,  man  could 
never  have  risen  beyond  the  sphere  of  mute 
wonder.  It  is  the  fact  that  God  is  unchange- 
able, the  same  yesterday,  to  day,  and  for  ever, 
that  gives  to  the  human  mind  the  power  to  rise 
upward,  through  the  works  of  nature,  to  the 
source  of  all  power  and  truth.  It  would  not 
have  been  more  difficult  for  the  infinite  Creator, 
to  have  governed  the  universe,  to  have  upheld 
its  worlds,  to  have  sustained  the  mechanism  of 
matter,  and  the  existence  of  life,  without  regard 
to  any  order,  or  without  the  dominion  of  any 
specific  laws. 

We  do  not  sufficiently  consider  this  important 
truth.  I  have  elsewhere  attemj^ted  to  demon- 
strate, that  the  present  construction  of  the  uni- 
verse, is  specifically  adapted  to  the  education  and 
elevation  of  the  human  intellect.  To  accomplish 
this  the  phenomena  of  nature  must  be  governed 
by  fixed  laws,  otherwise  the  possibility  of  pre- 
dicting them  could  never  exist.  The  will  of  the 
Almighty  is  then  manifested  according  to  modes 


IS    JEHOVAH.  105 

which  change  not.  Look  for  example,  at  the 
admirable  uniformity  of  the  rotation  of  our  earth 
on  its  axis ;  look  at  the  beautiful  precision  which 
marks  the  revolution  of  the  planetary  orbs : 
while  there  is  variation  infinite,  there  is  never 
for  one  moment  a  relaxation  of  any  of  the  supreme 
laws,  according  to  which  God  has  chosen  to 
manifest  his  being  and  presence.  In  every  atom 
he  reigns  supreme.  Let  man  attempt  to  imitate 
this  attribute  of  the  Deity ;  let  him  apply  his 
power  to  give  uniformity  to  the  rotation  of  the 
simplest  machine,  how  soon  does  he  discover, 
that  his  own  will,  though  never  so  carefully 
guarded,  is  ever  varying,  his  efforts  are  ever  re- 
laxing or  augmenting,  and  he  soon  yields  in  utter 
despair,  at  attaining  uniform  results  even  for  a 
single  hour.  But  the  will  of  the  Supreme, 
moves  the  universe,  while  no  stretch  of  scientific 
research  has  ever  yet  detected  the  shghtest 
variation  or  shadow  of  turning, — ever  perfect, 
ever  divine. 

Li  tracing  the  relative  positions  of  the  sun, 
moon,  and  earth,  we  have  been  able  to  penetrate 
the  past,  backward  three  thousand  years.    Their 


106  THE     GODOF    THE    UNIVERSE 

relative  movements  have  been  scanned,  the 
earth's  rotation  on  its  axis,  the  moon's  revolu- 
tion in  its  orbit,  the  earth's  annual  circuit  about 
the  sun.  These  are  so  linked  together,  that  any 
change  ever  so  minute,  is  within  the  grasp  of 
the  powers  of  science. 

In  one  instance,  indeed,  it  seemed  that  the 
law  by  which  the  power  of  God  is  ordinarily  dis- 
played, must  be  modified  in  those  remote  ages 
of  the  world.  The  moon  seemed  to  be  slowly 
breaking  away  from  its  orbit.  There  was  an 
evident  augmentation  of  her  mean  velocity,  from 
century  to  century,  and  her  present  position 
appeared  to  be  at  least  three  times  her  own 
diameter  in  advance  of  her  computed  place.  The 
cause  of  this  startling  phenomenon  was  long  and 
earnestly  sought.  Was  it  indeed  true,  that  one 
of  the  elements  of  equilibrium  w^as  slowly  wast- 
ing away  ?  Should  this  be  demonstrated,  what 
terrible  consequences  did  it  involve  ?  Nothing 
short  of  the  final  decay  and  death  of  the  entire 
system ;  slowly,  indeed,  but  surely,  one  by  one, 
the  planets  must  sink  into  the  blazing  sun,  and 
the  space  which  once  flashed  with  their  living 


IS    JEHOVAH.  107 

light  must  become  once  again,  the  domain  of 
darkness  and  of  death. 

But  faith  sustained  the  research.  As  God 
can  not  change,  so  the  laws  of  his  manifestation 
are,  in  like  manner,  immutable  :  this  apparent 
deviation  was  finally  traced  to  its  origin,  and 
revealed  one  of  the  most  astonishing  phenomena 
in  the  universe  of  God. 

The  moon's  acceleration  was  found  to  be  due 
to  a  gradual  change  in  the  figure  of  the  earth's 
orbit,  accomplished  in  a  vast  period  of  thousands 
and  thousands  of  years,  by  the  combined  influ- 
ence of  all  the  planets.  It  is  now,  and  has  been, 
expanding  for  thousands  of  years,  and  will  so 
continue  to  expand,  until  its  figure  shall  become 
circular,  when  the  same  power  will  reverse  its 
action,  and  the  circular  is  again  slowly  reduced 
to  the  elliptical  orbit.  So  long  as  the  circuit  of 
the  earth's  orbit  is  on  the  increase,  so  long  will 
the  moon's  mean  motion  be  accelerated ;  but 
when  this  shall  have  reached  its  limit,  and  con- 
traction begins,  then  will  the  moon's  motion  lose, 
by  slow  degrees,  the  velocity  it  had  gained,  and 


108  THE    GOD     OF    THE     UNIVERSE 

once  more,  at  the  close  of  some  millions  of  years, 
return  to  its  primitive  condition. 

This  is  not  a  solitary  example  of  these  won- 
drous exhibitions  of  the  invariability  of  the 
manifestations  of  God's  power.  Not  an  element, 
in  all  the  planetary  orbits,  is  absolutely  fixed, — 
all  is  changing,  yet  ever  in  accordance  with 
God's  great  law.  The  source  of  power  is  eternal, 
the  law  of  its  manifestation  everlasting,  and  the 
decree  has  gone  forth  throughout  the  universe  : 
Thus  far  shall  your  mighty  fluctuations  go,  but 
no  farther ;  the  limits  of  vibration  are  fixed  and 
immutable  as  the  pillars  of  heaven. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the 
uUqiiity  of  God.  "He  filleth  immensity  by  his 
presence,"  is  the  declaration  of  the  sacred  volume. 
How  grand  the  idea,  how  sublime  the  concep- 
tion! Could  unaided,  uninspired  mind  have 
risen  to  so  wonderful  a  thought  ? 

If  we  have  been  successful  in  presenting  con- 
clusive evidence  of  the  being  of  a  God ;  if  this 
supreme  intelligence  is  indeed  the  living  spirit 
of  the  universe ;  if  at  his  bidding  the  sun  pours 
forth  its  ceaseless  floods  of  light  and  heat ;  if  by 


IS    JEHOVAH.  109 

his  almighty  arm  the  worlds  are  projected  and 
guided  in  their  orbits ; — then  indeed,  so  far  as 
creation  extends,  to  the  very  outermost  confines 
of  inhabitable  space,  God  dwelleth  by  his  Spirit, 
exercising  a  positive,  direct,  immediate  control 
over  the  works  of  his  hands.  As  the  spirit  of 
man  pervades  every  particle  of  his  corporeal 
frame,  enduing  it  with  life,  and  energy,  and 
power,  so  must  the  Spirit  of  God  pervade  every 
atom  of  created  matter.  Should  he  for  one  mo- 
ment withdraw  his  sustaining  power,  not  only 
would  chaos  come,  but  even  matter  itself  would 
cease  to  be. 

But  let  us  examine,  for  one  moment,  how  far 
we  are  warranted  in  the  use  of  the  sublime  ex- 
pression,— His  presence  fiUeth  immensity.  Once 
our  knowledge  of  the  universe  was  limited  to  a 
region  of  space  so  minute,  that  when  compared 
with  what  has  since  been  revealed,  it  seems  but 
an  inferior  corner  in  the  empire  of  God.  Had 
this  been  all,  had  the  stars  visible  to  the  naked 
eye  constituted  the  entire  universe,  it  would 
have  been  possible  to  have  pierced  far  bej^ond 
these  limits,  and  to  have  demonstrated  that  ere- 


110  THE     GOD     OF     THE    UNIVERSE 

ation  was  finite.  It  is  true  that  even  the  bound- 
aries of  such  a  kingdom  are  immense.  It  is 
computed,  from  data  not  to  be  questioned,  that 
the  eye  has  the  power  of  discerning  single  stars 
at  so  great  a  distance,  that  their  light  can  not 
pass  it  in  less  than  a  hundred  years,  though  fly- 
ing in  every  minute  of  time,  twelve  millions  of 
miles ;  and  yet,  compared  with  the  now  visible 
boundaries  of  creation,  this  incredible  and  incom- 
prehensible distance  shrinks  to  an  almost  insen- 
sible point. 

I  will  not  here  undertake  to  explain  how  it  is 
that  the  telescope  enables  the  eye  to  penetrate 
space.  That  this  power  belongs  to  this  magic 
instrument,  no  one  can  doubt  who  has  ever  seen 
a  small,  feeble  star,  converted  by  optical  power 
into  a  magnificent  orb,  forty  times  more  exten- 
sive than  the  moon's  surface,  as  viewed  by  un- 
aided vision.  Who  could  have  divined  the 
nature  of  the  revelations  which  would  be  made 
by  an  instrument  giving  to  the  eye  a  depth  of 
penetration  a  thousand-fold  greater  than  it  pos- 
sessed by  nature  ?  If,  indeed,  the  Creator  is 
infinite,  if  his  august  presence  filleth  immensity, 


IS     JEHOVAH.  Ill 

then  we  had  a  right  to  anticipate  that,  no  matter 
how  deep  the  eye  of  man  might  pierce  the 
domain  of  space,  a  point  never  could  be  reached 
wherein  the  evidences  of  God's  presence  would 
not  appear.  Such  has  been  the  result  of  the 
apphcation  of  the  telescope  to  sounding  the 
mighty  depths  of  the  universe.  Every  aug- 
mentation of  power  has  served  to  reveal  new 
wonders ;  every  increased  depth  to  which  the 
eye  has  penetrated,  has  evoked  from  the  view- 
less depths  of  space,  millions  on  millions  of  shin- 
ing orbs,  until  the  imagination  is  overwhelmed 
as  well  by  the  teeming  numbers  as  by  the  mighty 
distances  to  which  these  island  universes  are 
removed.  Conceive,  if  it  be  possible,  of  an 
object  so  remote  that  its  light,  flashing  with  a 
speed  which  no  mind  can  comprehend,  should 
still  occupy  a  million  of  years  in  passing  the 
mighty  interval  by  which  it  is  removed  !  and  yet 
there  is  evidence  that  v/e  now  behold  with  the 
most  powerful  tubes,  objects  even  ten,  twenty,  or 
thirty  times  more  remote.  We  yield  the  point, 
and,  in  humble  adoration,  repeat  the  language  of 
the    sacred   book.    He   inhabiteth    eternity,  his 


112  THE     GOD     OF    THE    UNIVERSE 

presence  filleth  immensity,  and  of  his  kingdom 
there  is  no  end  ! 

Such,  indeed,  is  the  effect  produced  by  the 
telescopic  explorations  of  the  universe,  that  man 
has  ceased  to  doubt  the  infinitude  of  God's  em- 
pire, and  now  limits  his  ambition  to  a  deeper 
penetration  into  its  grandeur,  without  ever  in- 
dulging the  thought  that  he  shall  by  any  power 
pierce  beyond  its  mighty  limits.  Lo  !  these  are 
a  part  of  his  ways,  but  the  thunder  of  his  power 
who  can  understand  ?  No  one  can  rise  to  a  full 
comprehension  of  the  majesty  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  who  has  not  had  some  opportunity  of 
employing  in  his  researches  high  optical  power- 
Language  is  inadequate  to  convey  any  just  ide^- 
of  the  splendors  which  burst  on  the  sight,  as  the 
silent  stars  by  millions  go  trooping  across  the 
field  of  vision.  Space  is  not  by  any  means 
equally  populous  in  all  directions.  There  are 
regions  occasionally  presenting  themselves  in 
which  not  a  ray  of  light  illumines  the  gloom  of 
what  would  seem  eternal  night,  while  en  the 
very  confines  of  these  starless  patches,  hright 
and  dazzling  regions  burst  upon  the  vision. 


IS    JEHOVAH.  113 

After  penetrating  beyond  the  zone  of  the 
Milky  Way  (a  universe  of  itself),  other  objects 
are  descried,  which,  to  any  but  the  highest 
optical  power,  are  but  faint  clouds  of  light,  but 
under  the  focus  of  the  great  telescopes,  reveal 
their  composition,  exhibiting  aggregations  of 
innumerable  stars,  so  remote  that  only  their 
combined  light  can  penetrate  the  enormous  dis- 
tance. These  can  not  be  otherwise  interpreted- 
Their  magnitude  must  be  beyond  measurement, 
while  the  number  of  their  objects  is  beyond  com- 
putation. 

These  islands  of  light  are  already  counted  by 
thousands, — each,  doubtless,  a  universe  vast  and 
populous  as  that  with  which  our  own  central  orb 
is  specifically  allied.  Every  accession  of  optical 
power  transforms  their  hazy  masses  into  figures 
of  the  most  astonishing  complexity.  Some  are 
seen  under  the  form  of  enormous  spiral  shells, 
with  convolution  on  convolution,  with  dense 
central  masses  glowing  with  splendor,  each 
convolution  streaked  with  brilliant  patches, 
gradually  developing  a  train  of  astonishing  gran- 
deur.    Several  of  these  scroll-shaped  universes, 


114  THE    GOD    OF    THE    UNIVERSE 

have  been  revealed,  and  it  has  been  surmised; 
with  much  appearance  of  truth,  that  even  our 
own  Milky  Way,  if  it  could  be  seen  in  a  direc- 
tion perpendicular  to  its  broadest  extent,  would 
exhibit  a  figure  of  like  character.  What  these 
stupendous  spiral  forms  may  indicate,  is  yet  be- 
yond the  grasp  of  human  intelligence. 

Other  clusters  are  found  which  present  the 
globular  figure,  with  evident  condensation  at  the 
center;  others,  again,  assume  the  figure  of  rings 
of  hazy  light,  while  in  others  there  is  no  appear- 
ance of  definite  organization.  This,  in  many 
instances,  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  fact,  that 
no  optical  power,  however  great,  has  thus  far 
been  sufficient  to  reveal  the  true  forms  of  objects 
sunk  in  space,  to  such  immeasurable  depths.  If 
we  are  amazed  with  the  magnificence  of  these 
objects,  if  by  them  we  are  taught  the  vastness  of 
God's  empire,  we  are  no  less  overwhelmed  when 
we  consider  the  number  of  individual  objects 
which  claim  the  special  guardianship  of  Jehovah. 

It  is  reckoned  that  not  less  than  one  hundred 
millions  of  stars  are  now  visible,  within  the  limits 
of  the  Milky  Way.     In  case  we  admit  that  each 


IS    JEHOYAH.  115 

of  these  stars  is  a  sun,  and  that  each  is  the  cen- 
ter of  surrounding  planets,  we  are  forced  to 
admit  the  existence  of  a  thousand  milhons  of 
worlds,  within  the  limits  of  one  single  aggregation, 
one  great  and  j)opulous  cluster.  Shall  we  say 
that  but  one  of  these  thousand  millions  of  worlds 
is  filled  with  life  and  intelUgence,  and  that  one 
among  the  most  insignificant  ?  This  would  surely 
be  utter  madness.  People,  then,  these  millions 
of  worlds  with  inhabitants,  proportioned  to 
their  extent  of  surface,  and  how  amazing  is 
the  number  of  the  population  of  the  empire  of 
God! 

We  have,  however,  here  only  considered  a 
single  province.  Multiply  again  by  a  thousand 
all  we  have  said  or  seen,  and  w^e  shall  even  then 
fail  to  reach  the  limit  of  actual  telescopic  revela- 
tion. Well  may  we  exclaim,  "^  The  heavens 
declare  the  glory  of  God,"  while  ''  the  firmament 
showeth  forth  his  handy-work." 

Thus  do  we  find  abundant  evidence,  that  the 
presence  of  the  Most  High  filleth  immensity. 
It  is  likewise  declared,  by  the  sacred  writers,  in 
many  places,  that  Jehovah  inhabiteth  eternity ; 


116  THE     GOD     OF    THE     UNIVEESE 

his  kingdom  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting, 
and  of  his  dominion  there  is  no  end.  No  attri- 
bute of  the  Supreme  is  more  inscrutable  than  his 
eternity.  Without  beginning,  without  end,  self- 
existent,  everlasting.  God  manifesteth  himself 
in  time,  but  he  inhabiteth  eternity.  We  can  not 
undertake  to  demonstrate  the  eternal  being  of 
God  from  his  works,  which  are  not  eternal.  They 
had  a  beginning  and  may  therefore  have  an  end, 
but  we  are  permitted  to  reason  analogically,  and 
while  it  is  impossible  to  compass  the  idea  of 
eternity,  either  past  or  future,  we  may  at  least 
expand  our  conceptions,  by  an  examination  of 
the  mighty  periods  of  time  embraced  within  the 
range  of  the  physical  creation. 

All  is  accordant  in  this  mighty  temple  built 
'^  without  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  If  the 
universe,  by  the  number  and  splendor  of  its  orbs, 
by  their  masses  and  magnitudes,  by  the  stupen- 
dous scale  on  which  it  is  built,  by  the  simplicity 
of  the  laws  by  which  it  is  governed,  declares  in 
letters  of  living  light,  the  being  and  attributes 
of  the  ever-living  God,  so  do  the  periods  of  rev- 
olution worked  out  in  the  heavens  demonstrate 


IS    JEHOVAH.  117 

that  with  him  a  thousand  years  are  as  one  day, 
and  one  day  as  a  thousand  years. 

We  arc  told  that  "  in  the  beginning,  God  cre- 
ated the  heavens  and  the  earth/'  but  who  shall 
measure  by  mortal  years,  when  that  beginning 
was  ?  We  have  evidence  full  and  conclusive,  in 
the  rocky  records  of  the  earth  itself,  of  the  vast 
periods  of  time  which  have  rolled  away,  since 
the  dawn  of  creation  began.  If  we  interrogate 
the  heavens,  the  same  response  is  made.  If  it 
be  true,  that  in  case  at  this  very  moment,  the 
entire  universe  of  God  were  blotted  from  exis- 
tence, all  save  the  earth  itself,  that  even  now 
with  our  present  telescopic  power,  the  last  object 
would  not  fade  from  our  view  fbr  millions  of 
years ;  then,  indeed,  we  are  forced  to  admit  that 
millions  of  years  have  elapsed,  since  these  re- 
mote objects  were  called  into  being,  and  their 
light  darted  on  its  infinite  journey  to  the  earth. 

There  is  no  escape  from  this  conclusion.  Let 
it  not  be  thought  that  these  teachings  are  in  con- 
tradiction to  the  Word  of  God.  In  its  appro- 
priate place  this  subject  will  be  fully  treated, 
and  if  we  are  not  mistaken,  all  seeming  discrep- 


118  THE    GOD    OF    THE    TJNIVEKSE 

ancy  will  be  removed.  From  these  two  sources^ 
then,  the  earth  and  the  heavens,  we  deduce  a 
pre-existence  of  the  unh^erse,  only  to  he  reck- 
oned by  millions  of  years.  If  now  we  examine 
more  clearly  the  •  periods  assigned  to  the  revolu- 
tions of  the  celestial  orbs,  we  are  amazed  at  the 
grandeur  and  sublimity  displayed  in  the  going-on 
of  this  divine  machinery.  Leaving  the  periods 
of  the  planets  of  our  own  system,  we  rise  to  an 
examination  of  the  binary  stars,  and  while  some 
are  performing  their  revolutions  in  periods  of 
comparatively  short  duration,  in  others  there  is 
evidence,  that  a  single  revolution  of  one  body 
around  another  is  not  completed  in  less  than  a 
million  of  years  !  This  is  but  the  revolution  of 
an  object  about  another.  In  case  we  proceed 
upward  to  more  complex  systems,  these  mighty 
periods  of  time  expand  and  swell,  till  finally  it 
seems  that  eternity  alone  can  furnish  the  requi- 
site ages,  wherein  a  single  revolution  of  the 
multiplied  orbs  of  God's  universe,  may  be  com- 
pletely effected,  and  all  return  to  the  points 
from  which  they  were  projected,  to  commence 
anew  their  mighty  cycle  of  never-ending  motion. 


1(5    JEHOVAH.  119 

Thus,  does  time  almost  swell  into  eternity; 
and,  if  such  be  the  creature,  what  must  be  the 
Creator  ? 

We  have  thus,  from  an  examination  of  the 
physical  organization  of  the  universe  of  matter, 
demonstrated  the  unity  of  God,  his  almighty 
power,  his  infinite  wisdom.  We  have  shown 
that  he  inhabiteth  eternity,  and  that  his  presence 
filleth  immensity.  By  his  direct  power  the 
world  was  not  only  formed,  but  this  same  power 
is  momentarily  employed  to  sustain  the  vast 
superstructure,  which  has  been  reared  in  wis- 
dom. Whence,  then,  we  demand,  did  the  writers 
of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  derive  their  perfect 
ideas  of  the  Creator  of  the  universe?  They 
never  penetrated  the  arcana  of  nature.  They 
never  pierced  with  optic  tube  the  realms  of 
space.  They  never  tracked  the  swift  planet,  or 
the  fiery  comet.  They  knew  nothing  of  the 
mighty  laws  of  matter,  the  modes  of  God's  won- 
derful display.  They  had  learned  nothing  of 
the  vastness  of  the  universe  from  positive  in- 
spection, and  yet  in  the  most  wonderful  man- 
ner, and  in  language  which  no  tongue  can  equal. 


120  THE     GOD     OF     THE    UNIVEESE 

have  they  portrayed  the  attributes  of  God.  Can 
any  one  answer  this  inquiry,  without  resorting 
to  the  hypothesis  that  this  wonderful  knowledge 
is  the  direct  revelation  of  God  ?  This,  then,  is 
our  solution,  this  the  only  explanation  which 
our  feeble  powers  find  it  possible  to  present. 

Examine  the  writings  of  the  sages  of  an- 
tiquity, even  the  philosophy  of  the  profound 
Roman  and  the  subtle  Greek.  These  had  equal 
opportunity  to  reach  to  a  knowledge  of  the  at- 
tributes of  their  Jupiter  Creator,  but  even  the 
imagination  heated  by  poetic  fire,  failed  to  picture 
forth  more  than  the  feeble  shadowings  of  that 
grand,  awful,  and  sublime  Jehovah,  portrayed  in 
the  sacred  volume. 

Shall  we  attempt  to  proceed  further  in  our 
deductions  from  the  structure  of  nature  ?  There 
are  certain  attributes  of  the  Deity,  which  pet- 
haps  the  material  universe  can  not  reveal.  The 
material  kingdom  of  God  is  governed  only  by 
physical  laws,  and  can  not  be  affected  by  the 
attributes  of  divine  love,  divine  goodness,  divine 
mercy.  It  is  only  towards  God's  rational  crea- 
tures  that  these  affections   of  the  divine  mind 


IS     JEHOVAH.  121 

can  be  exercised.  We  can  not,  however,  affirm 
that  the  benevolence  of  the  Supreme  mind  is 
not  distinctly  revealed  in  the  physical  constitu- 
tion of  our  earth,  and  its  allied  bodies.  When 
we  examine  the  endless,  admirable  contrivances 
by  which  human  happiness  is  extended ;  when 
we  perceive  the  forms  of  grace  and  beauty  which 
fill  the  earth ;  the  wonderful  pictures  in  clouds 
and  in  the  landscape ;  the  glowing  tints  of  heaven, 
and  the  rich  effulgence  which  sparkles  on  the 
earth,  we  are  led  to  exclaim,  that  God  is  good ! 
When  we  comprehend  how  intimately  our  being 
is  interwoven  with  the  fabric  of  material  nature, 
the  air  we  breathe,  the  sparkling  fount  that  slakes 
our  thirst,  the  rich  and  luscious  fruits,  and  gentle 
breezes  of  earth,  that  give  healthy  vigor  to  our 
frames, — what  must  be  the  attributes  of  that 
Eternal  intelligence  which  has  called  into  being 
the  matter  of  innumerable  worlds,  which  has, 
with  geometry  profound,  fashioned  these  count- 
less systems ;  with  compass  and  measuring  line 
meted  out  their  habitation,  and  appointed  to  each 
its  abode  in  space  ? 

Nature  not  only  declares  with  voices  innum- 


122  THE     GOD     OF    THE    UNIVEKSE. 

erable,  deep  as  the  pealing  of  ten  thousand  thun- 
ders, the  being  of  a  God,  but  in  all  the  pillars 
of  her  empire,  in  all  the  magnificence  of  her 
architecture,  in  her  architraves  and  archways,  in 
her  star-lit  domes  of  superlative  grandeur,  in  the 
resistless  motions  of  her  multitudinous  worlds, 
in  the  interminable  extent  of  her  empire,  she 
proclaims  the  attributes  of  her  omnipotent  Crea- 
tor and  God. 

These  are  the  themes  to  which  we  shall  next 
invite  your  attention. 


LECTURE  III. 

THE  COSMOGOFf  AS  REVEALED  BY  THE  PRESENT 
STATE  OF  ASTROx^OMY. 


LECTUHE     III. 

THE   COSMOGONY  AS   REVEALED   BY  THE   PRESENT    STATE 
OF    ASTRONOMY. 

The  most  wonderful  volume  in  existence  is, 
beyond  a  doubt,  the  Bible.  It  is  wonderful  for 
its  high  pretensions,  for  its  almost  incredible 
claims  to  divine  origin,  for  its  exceeding  anti- 
quity. It  is  wonderful  in  its  revelation  of  the 
being  of  God,  and  in  its  declarations  concerning 
the  attributes  of  this  Almighty  Spirit.  It  is 
wonderful  for  its  professed  revelation  of  the 
creation  of  the  universe,  the  formation  of  man, 
the  origin  of  evil,  man's  fall  from  innocence,  and 
his  restoration  to  happiness.  It  is  wonderful  for 
its  daring  chronology,  its  positive  history,  its 
prophetic  declarations.  It  is  wonderful  on  ac- 
count of  its  sublime  philosophy,  its  exquisite 
poetry,  its  magnificent  figures,  its  overwhelming 
language  of  description.  It  is  wonderful  for  the 
diversity  of  its  writers,  diverse  in  their  attain- 


126      THE    COSMOGONY    AS    REVEALED    BY 

ments,  countries,  languages,  and  education.  It  is 
wonderful  for  its  boldness,  in  the  use  of  illustra- 
tions, metaphors,  figures,  drawn  from  every  depart- 
ment of  human  knowledge,  from  natural  history, 
from  meteorology,  from  optics,  from  astrono- 
my. It  is  wonderful  for  the  superior  conceptions 
of  its  writers,  of  the  grandeur  and  magnificence 
of  the  physical  universe.  It  is  wonderful  that 
it  has  exposed  itself  to  attack  and  destruction, 
at  every  point  of  time,  by  every  discovery  of 
man,  by  the  revelations  of  geology,  chronology, 
history,  ancient  remains  disemboweled  from  the 
earth,  by  astronomy,  by  the  discoveries  of  natu- 
ral history,  and,  above  all,  by  the  non-fulfiUment 
of  its  historical  predictions.  And  it  is  most  of 
all  wonderful,  that  up  to  the  present  time,  in  the 
opinion  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  judicious, 
reflecting,  and  reasoning,  among  earth's  inhabi- 
tants, during  three  thousand  years  since  its 
first  book  was  written,  it  has  maintained  its  high 
authority,  and  has  retained  in  all  this  vast  lapse 
of  time  a  powerful  SAvay  over  the  human  mind. 

On  all  these  accounts  (exclusive  of  its  moral 
teachings,  its  grand  primary  object),  no  one  will 


THE    PRESENT    STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY.    127 

deny  that  it  is  a  volume  demanding  the  most 
attentive  and  patient  investigation.  It  has  not 
escaped  overthrow  for  lack  of  enemies.  It  has  been 
assailed  at  every  point, — its  history,  its  theology, 
its  chronology,  its  cosmogony,  its  astronomy,  its 
geology,  all  these  in  their  turn  have  been  at- 
tacked by  the  cultivators  of  science,  and  by  the 
onward  movement  and  development  of  eaoli  suc- 
ceedmg  age.  The  philosophy  of  Greece  has  de- 
parted. The  hoary  astronomy  of  three  thousand 
years,  has  perished  in  the  grave.  The  gods  of 
antiquity,  the  Olympic  Jupiter,  the  dazzling 
Apollo,  the  trident-bearing  Neptune,  and  the 
forger  of  Heaven's  thunderbolts,  are  aU  swept 
away  by  the  onward  heaving  of  the  human 
mind,  if  not  by  the  superior  power  of  the  reve- 
lations of  this  wonderful  volume.  And  yet,  the 
most  venerable  system  of  all  remains,  and  to 
this  s^^stem  we  are  compelled  by  reason,  by 
sound  sense,  by  pure  philosophy,  to  turn  and  in- 
quire how  this  is,  and  whence  the  mystery  of 
perpetuity  and  powerful  tenacity  of  life.  All 
else  dies  while  the  Bible  survives.  Even  the 
nation  from  whence  it  sprang,  the  languages  in 


128   THE  COSMOGONY  AS  KEVEALED  BY 

which  it  was  composed,  the  countries  of  its  birth 
scarcely  exist,  but  in  its  marvelous  pages.  If, 
indeed,  it  be  the  Word  of  the  ever-living  God, 
then,  indeed,  the  mystery  is  revealed  ;  but  if  this 
high  claim  can  not  be  maintained,  he  who  disbe- 
lieves must  frame  a  theory  by  which  the  present 
facts  may  be  reasonably  explained. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  books  of 
this  volume  were  composed  at  periods  of  time 
widely  separated ;  a  lapse  of  nearly  2000  years 
intervenes  between  the  date  of  the  compositions 
of  Moses  and  the  Eevelation  of  St.  John,  the 
divine ;  and  now  nearly  a  like  period  has  roUed 
away,  since  the  sacred  canon  was  closed,  and 
the  book  was  sealed  up  for  ever,  nothing  more 
to  be  added,  and  from  its  finished  contents  noth- 
ing ever  to  be  taken.  It  was  closed  up  amid 
the  spenders  of  the  Homan  empire,  when  litera- 
ture, and  art,  and  philosophy,  held  their  golden 
reign  over  the  civilized  world.  It  was  fully 
finished  while  yet  science  was  in  its  infancy; 
during  the  reign  of  error,  and  ignorance,  and 
prejudice,  and  long  before  the  truths  of  science, 
in  any  of  its  departments,  had  yet  shed  their 


THE     PRESENT     STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY.    129 

light  upon  the  world.  During  these  eighteen 
hundred  years  of  the  Christian  era,  for  this 
volume  has  even  given  an  era  to  the  most  culti- 
vated nations  of  earth,  the  human  mind  has  not 
been  idle.  In  history  it  has  searched  the  buried 
ruins  of  past  centuries,  it  has  disentombed 
mighty  cities,  colossal  columns,  endless  hiero- 
glyphs. It  has  read  on  coins,  on  medals,  on 
inscriptions  of  the  rocks,  in  monumental  piles,  in 
sculptured  enigmas,  the  history  of  the  past.  The 
fragments  of  the  primitive  writers  of  ail  nations 
have  been  collected,  the  Egyptian  Manetho,  the 
Babylonian  Berosus,  the  Phoenician  Sanchonia- 
thon, — all  have  been  searched  to  fling  their  light 
far  back  into  the  dark  clouds  which  engloom  the 
past.  Chronology  has  brought  to  her  aid  the 
discoveries  of  modern  science,  and  the  celestial 
revolutions  have  been  marshaled  in  her  service. 
Geology  has  upheaved  the  crust  of  the  solid 
earth,  and  deep  delving,  she  has  dug  up  the 
remains  of  former  generations.  Plants  and  ani- 
mals, insects  and  reptiles,  the  inhabitants  of  a  pri- 
maeval, preadamite  earth,  in  their  classes,  orders, 
genera,  and  species,  have  all  been  brought  under 


130  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

the  bright  focus  of  scientific  investigation.  Above 
the  earth,  science  has  soared  into  the  clouds  of 
heaven,  and  from  her  lofty  height  she  has  re- 
vealed the  facts  and  phenomena  which  crowd 
earth,  ocean,  and  atmosphere.  The  lightning's 
blaze  and  the  thunder's  peal,  the  soft  dew,  the 
gentle  zephyr,  and  the  blasting  tornado,  have  all 
been  studied.  Far  beyond  in  the  blue  ether  she 
has  winged  her  flight.  She  has  pierced  the 
bright  canopy  of  heaven,  and  opened  up  the 
amazing  universe  w^hich  towers  on  every  hand, 
lost,  interminable  in  the  unfathomable  depths  of 
space.  In  short,  since  the  closing  of  the  sacred 
canon,  a  new  world  has  been  revealed,  and  science 
on  her  uplifted  throne,  quadruple-crowned,  sways 
a  scepter  over  a  boundless  empire,  which  then 
had  no  existence.  If,  then,  this  so-called  sacred 
volume  be  a  tissue  of  falsehood,  if  its  philosophy 
be  false,  its  theology  false,  its  morals  false,  its 
cosmogony  false,  its  astronomy  false,  its  history 
false,  its  productions  false,,  its  natural  science 
false,  its  geology  false,  its  chronology  false,  then 
indeed  let  it  beware,  for  science  is  marshaling 
its  forces  with  strength  irresistible,  pouring  in 


THE    PRESENT    STATE    OF     ASTKONOMT.    13] 

from  the  east,  west,  north,  and  south ;  ascending 
from  heights  insurmountable,  rising  from  depths 
unfiithomable  ;  all,  all,  conspiring  the  overthrow 
and  final  destruction  of  every  system  which  is 
not  founded  on  the  solid  rock  of  truth  itself. 

No  one  with  a  soul,  which  has  ever  risen  above 
the    clouds  of  prejudice,  can   for   one    moment 
regret  the  downfall  of  error.     Who  regrets  the 
destruction   of  the    philosophy  of  Aristotle,   of 
the    astronomy    of   Ptolemy?     But   it    may  be 
demanded  is  the  Bible  open  to  attack  ?     Does  it 
pretend  to  teach  any  system  of  science  ?     Yes, 
it  pretends  to  teach  theology,  morals,  and  religion, 
directly  and  positively,  while  it  adverts  indirectly 
to  every  branch  of  science,  and  in  these  occas- 
ional allusions,  lays   itself  open  to  attack  at  a 
thousand  points.     It  is  again  demanded,  whether 
its  writers  did  not  studiously  avoid  any  commit- 
ment, with  reference  to  matters  of  pure  science  ? 
In  case  this  be  true,  then  is  it  one  of  the  most 
inexplicable    of  marvels,   that  each  one   of  this 
multitude  of  writers,  scattered  along  the  shores 
of  the  descending  current  of  time  for  two  thou- 
sand yearS;  each  one  as  his  occasion  required, 


132     THE     COSMOGONY    AS    REVEALED    BY 

boldly  reaching  out  his  hand  into  the  dark,  and 
dragging  to  his  use  Avhatever  of  science  his  sub- 
ject demanded,  and  yet  with  such  wise  caution, 
that  the  full  blaze  of  truth  and  knowledge  may 
never  detect  the  ignorance  of  him,  who  thus 
plunges  at  random  into  the  gloom  of  scientific 
night.  It  may  be  asserted  that  positive  state- 
ments have  been  avoided  in  the  simplest  of 
ways, — that  there  were  none  known,  to  be  made. 
But  this  is  not  the  fact.  Positive  statements  are 
made,  and  that  too  in  the  most  unequivocal  lan- 
guage. I  need  only  cite  the  order  of  creation, 
the  facts  of  history,  the  predictions  of  the  future, 
the  universal  deluge ;  while  to  each  of  the  other 
departments  of  knowledge  there  is  constant 
reference. 

The  Bible,  then,  is  open  to  attack — indeed,  it 
is  in  no  possible  point  guarded  from  attack. 
There  is  no  shield  but  truth  for  its  sacred  char- 
acter; there  is  no  bulwark  but  truth  to  defend  it 
from  the  assaults  of  its  enemies ;  and  if  there  be 
those  who,  after  mature  study  of  its  pages,  have 
reached  the  conclusion  that  this  is  the  great 
volume  of  God's  truth,  surely  it  is  just  that  the 


THE    PRESENT     STATE     OJF     ASTRONOMY.    133 

grounds  of  their  belief  should  be  set  forth,  that 
others  may  read,  reflect,  and  decide.  I  proceed, 
then,  without  further  delay,  to  consider  the  cos- 
mogony of  the  universe  as  developed  in  the 
Mosaic  history  of  the  creation.  Before  it  be 
possible  to  approach  the  discussion  of  this  sub- 
ject, we  must  make  as  clear  a  development  as 
possible  of  the  present  state  of  our  scientific 
knowledge,  with  reference  to  this  deeply  pro- 
found and  mysterious  subject. 

The  topics  to  which  we  now  invite  your  atten- 
tion, are  among  the  most  sublime  that  ever 
engaged  the  powers  of  an  inteUigent  mind. 
Whence  sprang  this  mighty  universe  of  blazing 
suns  ?  Whence  these  multitudinous  worlds  which 
circle  round  their  central  orbs,  far  flying  through 
the  deep  of  space,  freighted  with  their  number- 
less inhabitants  ?  Were  they  brought  into  being 
by  the  fiat  of  Omnipotence  ?  Did  the  command 
go  forth.  Let  the  universe  be  !  and  at  the  bidding 
of  God,  did  sun  and  system,  satellite  and  planet, 
and  ail  the  blazing  host  of  heaven,  and  the 
mighty  schemes  which  fill  the  deep  profound, 
burst  into  sudden  beins;,  and  flash  their  splen- 


134  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

dors  throughout  the  startled  empire  of  vacuity  ? 
Or  is  there  a  plan,  wise,  deep,  and  eternal, 
mighty  as  God,  extensive  as  space,  comprehen- 
sive as  immensity,  working  backward  through 
innumerable  millions  of  ages  deep  into  primeval 
time,  and  w^orking  forward,  through  countless 
revolutions  of  heaven's  host,  to  ages  in  the  future 
to  which  no  mortal  power  of  thought  can  pene- 
trate ?  Which  is  the  more  consistent  with  what 
w^e  are  able  to  learn  of  the  workmanship  of  God 
in  this  goodly  world  which  we  inhabit  ?  Are 
there  here  manifested  any  sudden  bursts  of 
being,  or  is  all  progressive  ?  Whence  came  the 
forests  which  clothe  the  earth?  Whence  the 
monarch  oak  which  rears  heavenward  its  thun- 
der-scarred form?  Does  it  spring  into  being, 
as  leaps  the  electric  spark  from  the  dark  bosom 
of  the  cloud  ?  We  know  its  origin ;  and  though 
generations  roll  away  as  this  gigantic  tree  slowly 
rears  its  crest,  w^e  are  well  assured  of  its  begin- 
ning, and  can  affirm  positively  of  its  gradual 
development. 

This  is  the  universal  analogy  of  all  that  claim 
existence  upon  the  earth.     Indeed,  we  may  go 


THE  PRESENT  STATE  OF  ASTRONOMY.  135 

still  farther,  and  affirm  that  the  crust  of  the 
earth  itself  is  but  the  record  of  successive  revo- 
lutions, marking  the  great  epochs  in  the  past 
history  of  the  world.  So  far,  then,  as  we  are 
able  to  trace  the  direct  manifestations  of  God 
in  the  mineral,  vegetable  and  animal  kingdoms, 
He  works  by  means,  and  according  to  a  plan. 
If  we  ascend  to  the  organization  of  the  solar 
system  we  shall  perceive  even  here  that  it  is 
built  on  a  plan,  and  in  accordance  with  certain 
great  and  governing  laws.  The  same  appears  to 
be  true  of  the  various  aggregations  of  stars,  and 
of  the  mighty  astral  systems  of  space.  This, 
how^ever,  is  an  examination  made  in  the  condi- 
tion of  maturity.  It  is  like  the  exhibition  of 
design  in  the  structure  of  the  full  grown  oak, 
already  alluded  to.  We  can  not  so  surely  trace 
the  development  of  a  system  of  worlds.  We 
can  not  so  certainly  behold  them  forming  under 
our  eye ;  although  possibly  this  process  may  at 
this  moment  be  ad\'ancing.  In  case  we  could 
trace  absolutely  the  formation  of  our  single  sys- 
tem from  its  primitive  amorphous  state,  to  a  con- 
dition of  full  development,  then  we  might  with 


136  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  EEYEALED  BY 

certainty  extend  these  processes  to  all  the  sys- 
terns  already  in  existence ;  as  this  is  impossible, 
at  least  in  the  present  state  of  science,  we  are 
left  somewhat  to  conjecture  and  speculation, 
though  of  course  all  speculation  must  be  in 
accordance  with  the  phenomena  of  Nature.  We 
may  frame  theories  and  test  them  by  facts,  until 
their  truth  or  falsehood  shall  have  been  demon- 
strated. I  shall  not  stop  to  present  the  various 
theories  which  have  been  successively  framed,  to 
account  for  the  existent  condition  of  the  planetary 
system.  I  shall  confine  my  remarks  solely  to 
that  one,  which  has  of  late  years  become  some- 
what noted,  in  consequence  of  its  abandonment 
by  certain  prominent  individuals,  who  had  previ- 
ously been  its  ardent  advocates.  It  is  the  more 
notorious  from  the  fact,  that  it  has  been  em- 
ployed as  the  foundation  on  which  an  extraor- 
dinary system  of  materialism  has  been  con- 
structed, involving  the  idea  that  creation  is  but  a 
series  of  accidental  and  progressive  developments. 
I  allude,  of  course,  to  the  celebrated  nebular 
hypothesis  of  Sir  William  Herschel,  better 
known  as  Laplace's  theory,  in  consequence  of 


THE    PRESENT    STATE    OF    ASTRONOMY      137 

the  extension  and  application  it  had  received 
from  this  learned  French  geometrician. 

There  are  those,  doubtless,  who  have  conceived 
an  aversion  to  this  theory,  in  consequence  of  its 
supposed  atheistic  tendency.  It  would  be  highly 
unphilosophical  to  reject  any  theory  on  such  a 
ground.  If  it  be  a  mere  speculation,  unsusceptible 
of  being  brought  to  the  test  of  actual  discussion, 
then  indeed  its  tendency  to  evil  would  be  a  valid 
reason  for  its  rejection.  After  the  repeated 
mistakes  and  blunders  of  the  unlearned  multi- 
titude,  in  these  same  matters,  let  us  beware  how 
we,  in  this  age  of  progression,  and  freedom  of 
opinion,  plunge  into  like  errors. 

It  was  once  thought  that  the  doctrines .  of 
Galileo  were  at  variance  with  truth  and  revela- 
tion. I  presume  there  is  no  one  at  the  present 
day  who  will  undertake  to  assert  that  this  same 
Copernican  system  is  not  firmly  fixed  on  the 
foundation  of  truth,  while  revelation  remains  as 
undisturbed  as  though  Copernicus  had  never 
lived. 

Let  us,  then,  abandon  our  prejudices,  and,  with 
philosophic    and    honest    candor,  examine    the 


138  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

foundation  on  which  this  theory  rests  its  claims 
to  credence. 

It  is  well  known  to  all,  that  Sir  "William  Her- 
schel  was  the  first  who  succeeded  in  the  con- 
struction of  powerful  reflecting  telescopes.  He 
constructed  one  of  these  instruments  of  so  enor- 
mous a  magnitude,  that  in  case  its  dimensions 
had  not  been  surpassed  in  our  own  day,  it  would 
seem  almost  incredible  that  such  an  instrument 
could  have  "^een  upreared,  and  directed  to  the 
examination  of  the  celestial  sphere. 

The  diameter  of  its  speculum  was  no  less  than 
four  feet,  while  the  ponderous  iron  tube,  was 
forty  feet  in  length.  With  this  gigantic  instru- 
ment, possessing  a  power  transcendently  greater 
than  that  of  human  vision,  concentrating  as  it 
did,  the  light  from  the  most  remote  objects, 
on  the  pupil  of  its  enormous  eye,  Sir  William 
undertook  a  thorough  review  of  the  entire  celes- 
tial region,  visible  in  the  latitude  in  which  he 
was  located.  Objects  of  wonderful  form  and  of 
most  mj^sterious  character  not  unfrequently  pre- 
sented themselves  to  his  view,  as  they  floated 
cloud-like   across   the   field   of  his   mighty  tele- 


THE    PRESENT    STATE    OF    ASTRONOMY      139 

scope.  They  were  not  stars,  they  did  not  pre- 
sent the  appearance  of  clusters  of  stars,  they 
shone  with  a  dim  mysterious  light,  without 
definite  outline,  shadowy  in  their  character,  and 
only  rendered  more  enigmatical,  the  more  advan- 
tageous the  circumstances  under  which  they 
were  viewed.  These  objects  of  which  he  dis- 
covered many  hundreds,  nay  even  thousands,  he 
named  nebulae,  and  these  he  subdivided  and 
classified,  according  to  their  distinctive  charac- 
teristics. Among  these  we  find  resolvable  nebu- 
Ise,  those  which  are  manifestly  composed  of  stars, 
yet  so  distant  that  no  optical  power  then  in  use, 
could  disentangle  the  rays  which  were  mingled 
in  their  vast  journey  to  the  earth.  Others  were 
termed  planetary  nebulae,  from  their  resem- 
blance to  a  planetary  disc.  A  very  large  class, 
in  which  no  evidence  of  possible  resolvability 
was  found,  were  denominated  amorphous  nebulse. 
Among  these  last,  a  great  variety  of  objects 
existed  :  some  were  discovered  so  faint  and  deli- 
cate as  scarcely  to  stain  the  deep  blue  of  ether, 
and  indeed  were  invisible  to  any  but  the  most 
experienced   eye,  and  even  this  eye  must  first 


140     THE    COSMOGONY     AS     EEVEALED    BY 

have  been  subjected  to  powerful  action  of  long 
continued  and  deep  darkness,  to  develope  its 
acutest  sensibilities ;  others  again  were  enor- 
mous in  their  magnitude,  filling  field  after  field 
of  the  instrument,  with  their  shadowy  forms 
pierced  here  and  there  by  enormous  cavities,  jet 
black,  and  lighted  up  in  spots  with  concentra- 
tions of  greater  splendor. 

Many  were  the  speculations  which  passed 
through  the  mind  of  the  great  discoverer  as  to 
the  true  character  of  these  anomalous  objects. 
He  was  familiar  with  the  forms  and  appearance 
of  the  clusters  of  stars.  Hundreds  of  these 
objects,  which  had  resisted  the  power  of  all 
preceding  telescopes,  had  been  resolved  into 
stars  by  his  own  great  instruments.  In  the 
outset  he  naturally  adopted  the  hypothesis,  that 
all  these  hazy  clouds  of  light,  so  profusely  scat- 
tered through  the  regions  of  space,  were  nothing 
more  than  vast  aggregations  of  stars,  so  deeply 
sunk  in  space  as  to  defy  the  space-penetrating 
power  of  his  largest-sighted  telescopes.  But  a 
more  extended  examination  finally  led  him  to 
doubt,  and  at  last  a  discovery  broke  in  upon  liim, 


THE    PRESENT     STATE    OF    ASTEONOMY.    141 

which  drove  him  from  this  hypothesis,  and  led 
him  to  the  formation  of  another,  which  is,  per- 
haps, the  boldest  which  human  thought  has  ever 
conceived.  The  phenomenon  which  so  riveted 
his  gaze  was  the  halo  of  this  hazy,  nebulous 
light,  in  whose  center  shone  a  well-formed  and 
perfect  star !  How  could  this  phenomenon 
receive  an  explanation  on  his  old  hypothesis  ? 
In  case  the  shadowing  envelope  of  this  central 
star  was  itself  but  the  aggregation  of  millions  of 
stars,  how  vastly  superior  in  magnitude  and 
brilliancy  over  all  the  others  must  that  central 
orb  be,  which  so  far  outshone  the  millions  of 
millions  by  which  it  was  surrounded.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  case  we  attribute  to  the  central 
body  a  magnitude  conformable  with  that  of  the 
other  stars  of  heaven  of  equal  luminosity,  how 
utterly  insignificant  must  be  those  countless 
stars/whose  combined  light  appeared  but  as  a 
faint,  luminous  atmosphere  around  the  central 
orb? 

This  object,  then,  combined  with  a  multitude 
like  it,  sustained  by  the  various  other  pheno- 
mena of  nebulous  bodies,  finally  induced  Her- 


142  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

schel  to  adopt  the  notion,  that  matter  manifested 
itself  in  the  heavens  in  two  distinct  forms  :  first, 
as  perfectly  formed  and  solid  stars,  or  suns  and 
planets ;  second,  in  nebulous  masses  of  chaotic 
and  vaporous  matter,  enormous  in  extent,  of 
exceeding  tenuity,  and  in  every  way  analogous 
to  the  trains  of  luminous  particles  which  not 
unfrequently  attend  the  more  solid  portions  -of 
the  great  comets  which  occasionally  visit  our 
system  from  the  remoter  regions  of  space. 

As  these  vast  masses  of  nebulous  mist  are 
known  to  concentrate  and  settle  down  upon  the 
nucleus  of  the  comet,  it  was  not  difficult  to 
extend  this  idea  to  the  possible  condensation  of 
the  vaporous  envelopes  of  the  fixed  stars  upon 
these  luminaries,  and  finally  to  rise  to  the 
thought  that  possibly  this  chaotic,  nebulous, 
amorphous  fire-mist  might  be  the  primordial 
condition  of  matter,  and  that  the  nebulous  stars 
were  specimens  of  the  imperfectly  condensed 
matter.  This  bold  thought  appeared  to  be  abun- 
dantly sustained  by  succeeding  investigations. 
The  most  marvelous  forms  w^ere  revealed,  such 
as  double  nebulae  with  condensing  centers  ;  dou- 


THE    PRESENT    STATE    OF    ASTKONOMY.    143 

ble  stars,  with  trains  of  interjacent  nebulous 
matter,  apparently  under  the  positive,  condens- 
ing power  of  each  of  the  bright  centers  ;  nebulous 
masses,  with  partial  condensation,  about  well- 
defined  nuclei,  having  dark  vacuities,  through 
which  shone  the  deep  and  distant  heavens  as 
through  a  window.  Such,  indeed,  was  the  accu- 
mulation of  evidence  in  favor  of  this  astonishing 
theory,  that  Herschel  at  length  promulgated  his 
views  to  the  world,  and  presented  the  evidences 
on  which  his  opinions  were  based.  He  conceived 
that  the  all-prevalent  power  of  universal  gravi- 
tation was  now  actually  exerting  itself  over 
these  nebulous  masses  of  matter,  and  that  even 
now  worlds  were  forming  in  the  womb  of  space; 
while  the  myriads  of  bright  orbs  which  fill  the 
heavens  had  their  origin  in  the  same  chaotic 
matter,  wrought  into  form  and  beauty  by  the 
action  of  these  same  laws  of  universal  gravita- 
tion. Here,  then,  was  a  cosmogony  of  the 
stellar  heavens,  far  different  from  any  thing 
previously  propounded.  It  exhibited  a  mighty 
scheme  of  development.  God's  creative  power 
had  called  matter  into  being.     In  its  primitive, 


144       THE    COSMOGONY    AS    KEVEALED    BY 

nebulous  condition^  it  had  filled  the  boundless 
expanse  of  space.  The  omnipotent  Spirit  had 
breathed  upon  this  unfinished  ocean,  life  had 
burst  upon  it,  and  the  will  of  God,  operative 
and  manifested  in  the  great  law  of  gravitation, 
had  commenced  and  carried  forward,  through  the 
countless  millions  of  ages  of  the  past,  the  grand 
work  of  perpetual  development. 

The  idea  was  at  least  sublime.  There  was 
nothing  in  it,  as  thus  presented,  to  shock  the 
feelings  of  the  most  devoted  friend  of  the  sacred 
volume.  It  was  but  another  round  mounted  by 
the  human  mind,  in  its  effort  to  ascend  through 
Nature  closer  to  the  throne  of  Nature's  God.  It 
was  in  accordance  with  all  the  developments  of 
the  workmanship  of  God's  fingers  on  earth.  All 
else  v/as  progressive  development,  from  the 
tender  flower  to  the  sturdy  oak,  from  the  most 
delicate  insect  to  the  gigantic  Behemoth.  Man, 
made  in  the  image  of  God,  received  his  strength 
and  power,  and  wisdom,  by  slow  degrees,  and 
why  should  not  the  all-pervading  principle 
extend  itself,  even  to  the  glorious  orbs  that  God 
has  fixed  in  the  heavens,  to  manifest  his  glory. 


THE     PRESENT     STATE    OF    ASTilONOMY.     145 

and  to  make  known  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
his  wisdom  and  his  power  ? 

This  most  w^ondrous  speculation  seemed  to 
be  further  confirmed  by  a  multitude  of  facts. 
Among  the  nebulous  stars,  some  were  found,  in 
which  there  was  but  a  feeble  concentration  of 
light  in  the  center  of  a  luminous  circle.  In 
others  the  light  was  more  developed ;  and  thus 
onward  a  series  would  be  formed,  by  individuals 
properly  selected,  until  fmally  a  brilliant  star 
shone  in  the  center  of  its  gauzy  envelope.  As 
our  own  sun  is  one  of  the  fixed  stars,  it  was 
natural  to  inquire  what  was  its  condition, — 
whether  it  exhibited  any  trace  of  this  strange 
phenomenon  which  the  telescope  had  revealed  in 
the  heavens.  About  the  sun  it  had  been  long 
known  that  an  extensive  atmosphere  existed ; 
but  this  was  only  analogous  to  the  gaseous 
envelope  of  our  earth  and  the  other  planets. 
A  closer  scrutiny  of  the  sun  detected  a  remarkable 
relation  between  this  body  and  a  faintly  luminous 
appearance,  long  distinguished  under  the  name 
of  the  Zodiacal  light.     This  luminous  beam,  ever 

based  upon   the    sun,    and    attendant   upon  its 

V 


146   THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

annual  apparent  movement^  is  visible  with  pecu- 
liar distinctness  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
extending  in  an  elongated,  elliptic  form  to  a  vast 
distance  from  the  sun,  reaching  even  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  orbit  of  the  planet  Yenus,  and 
possibly  to  that  of  the  Earth.  Here,  then,  it 
seemed,  was  found,  in  actual  existence,  the  re- 
mains of  that  primeval,  nebulous  globe  from 
whence  our  sun  had  sprung,  in  the  form  of  a 
vast  gaseous  atmosphere  of  exceeding  tenuity, 
revolving  with  the  sun  on  its  axis,  and  extended 
to  its  lenticular  form  by  the  centrifugal  force 
due  to  rotation.  Such,  then,  was  the  condition 
of  this  great  problem,  as  left  by  Sir  William 
Herschel ;  and  it  was  at  this  point  that  Laplace 
received  it,  and,  by  the  force  of  his  wonderful 
genius,  extended  the  range  of  the  speculation 
far  beyond  the  limits  imagined  by  its  illustrious 
author. 

Any  theory  which  would  account  for  the  fixed 
stars  and  for  the  formation  of  the  sun,  would  be 
greatly  strengthened  if,  at  the  same  time,  it 
could  be  made  to  explain  the  planets,  satellites, 
and   comets,  and  embrace  within  its  scope  the 


THE     PRESENT     STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY.     147 

peculiar  phenomenon  presented  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  solar  system.  Whence  came  the 
worlds  which  circle  round  the  sun  ?  and  whence 
the  moons  which  subordinate  themselves  to  the 
action  of  their  central  bodies  ?  and,  above  all, 
whence  spring  those  anomalous  bodies  which 
occasionally  visit  our  system,  and,  after  a  brief 
sojourn,  again  disappear  in  the  invisible  regions 
of  the  universe  ?  These  questions  had  long 
been  propounded  in  vain,  and  conjecture  had 
been  exhausted  in  its  efforts  to  account  for 
their  origin. 

It  w\as  to  explain  these  phenomena  that  La- 
place had  recourse  to  the  nebular  theory  of  Sir 
William  Herschel ;  and  it  is  to  the  specific  con- 
sideration of  this  subject  I  would  noAV  invite 
your  attention. 

In  the  outset  of  this  discussion  we  must 
clearly  distinguish  between  those  phenomena, 
for  which  the  law  of  universal  gravitation  is 
responsible,  and  those  other  phenomena  of  the 
constitution  of  the  solar  system,  in  the  explana- 
tion of  which  this  law  has  never  been  employed. 
Gravitation  explains  why  the   planets,  comets, 


148   THE  COSMOGONY  A3  EEVEALED  BY 

and  satellites  revolve  in  elliptical  orbits,  or  in 
those  curves  known  as  conic  sections,  consisting 
of  the  circle,  ellipse,  parabola,  and  hyperbola. 
Gravitation  exj)lains  the  unequal  velocities  of 
these  bodies  in  their  orbitual  movements.  It, 
in  like  manner,  explains  the  multitudinous  j)er- 
turbations  suffered  by  all  the  members  of  the 
solar  system,  in  consequence  of  their  reciprocal 
action.  In  short,  the  system  once  organized  as 
it  now  is,  all  its  existent  and  daily  occurring 
phenomena  are  susceptible  of  explanation  and 
computation  from  the  theory  of  universal  gravi- 
tation. Here,  however,  the  domain  of  this  law 
is  bounded,  —  or,  at  least,  has  hitherto  been 
bounded.  There  remain  a  multitude  of  inquiries 
demanding  answers,  for  which,  however,  gravi- 
tation has  not  been  deemed  accountable.  For 
example,  why  do  all  the  planets  and  satellites 
revolve  in  orbits  so  nearly  circular  ?  So  far  as 
gravitation  is  concerned,  they  might  as  well 
have  revolved  in  parabolas  or  hyperbolas.  Why 
do  all  the  planets  circulate  about  the  sun  in  the 
same  direction?  Gravitation  would  have  held 
them,  all  the  same,  in  case  they  had  moved  in 


THE    PRESENT     STATE    OF    ASTEONOMi'.    149 

the  opposite  direction.  How  comes  it  that  the 
13lanes  of  the  planetary  orbits  are  nearly  coinci- 
dent? Gravitation  renders  no  reply  to  this 
question,  and  is  not  responsible  for  the  answer. 
Again,  the  planets  all  rotate  on  axes  in  the  same 
direction  in  which  they  revolve  in  their  orbits. 
The  satellites  follow  these  same  analogies,  and 
even  the  sun  himself  is,  in  like  manner,  found  to 
rotate  on  his  axis,  in  the  general  direction  of  the 
motion  of  his  attendant  satellites.  While  this 
astonishing  harmony  and  uniformity  prevail  with 
reference  to  the  planets  and  their  satellites,  a 
far  different  order  of  things  exists  among  the 
comets.  These  bodies  visit  our  system  from 
every  possible  region  of  space,  under  all  angles 
of  inclination,  and  revolve  in  any  one  of  the 
curves  already  mentioned,  except  the  circle. 
They  do  not  pass  round  the  sun  in  the  same 
direction  as  the  other  revolving  bodies,  techni- 
cally known  as  tlie  direct  motion ;  but  they 
exhibit  as  frequently  the  retrograde  direction. 
Now,  if  this  great  scheme  were  formed  by 
chance,  and  the  planets  and  satellites  had  been 
projected  in  their  orbits  with  forces  of  impulse 


150   THE  COSMOGONY  AS  KEVEALED  BY 

and  directions  of  motion  solely  determined  by 
accident,  there  is  not  one  chance  in  one  hundred 
millions  that  the  present  organization  would 
have  been  the  result  of  such  an  origin. 

The  question  then  arises,  may  all  these  com- 
plicated phenomena  ]Dresented  in  the  solar  sys- 
tem, be  reduced  under  the  dominion  of  a  single 
law?  and  if  so,  what  is  the  hypothesis  which 
yields  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  these  multi- 
tudinous and  diversified  phenomena  ? 

Laplace  has  furnished  us  the  approximate 
answer  to  this  grand  inquiry.  I  present  a  rapid 
exposition  of  the  groat  outlines  of  this  vast 
speculation.  It  is  believed  that  at  one  time  the 
sun  was  a  vast  nebulous  globe,  of  a  diameter  so 
great  as  to  comprehend  within  its  limits  the 
orbits  of  all  the  planets.  At  this  period  there 
w^ere  no  planets  in  existence,  and  the  matter  of 
which  these  bodies  and  their  satellites  are  com- 
posed w^as,  at  this  period,  a  portion  of  the  mass  of 
matter  constituting  that  body  which  we  now  call 
the  sun.  In  the  lapse  of  ages,  the  mighty  diam- 
eter of  this  primitive,  globular  body,  exceeding  six 
thousand  millions  of  miles,  is  supposed  to  have 


THE  PRESENT  STATE  OF  ASTRONOMY.  I5l 

slowly  contracted,  by  the  radiation  of  heat,  into 

the  regions   of  space.      In   case   we  admit  the 

beginning  of  a  rotation  of  the  globular  mass  on 

an  axis,  the  contraction  of  its  dimensions  must, 

by  necessity,  increase  the  velocity  of  rotation. 

If,  then,  the  loss  of  caloric  be  ever  continued,  the 

contraction  of  the  mass  must  be  perpetuated,  and 

the  velocity  of  rotation  will  be  ever  increased, 

until  a  time  will  come  when  the  centrifugal  force, 

generated  at  the  equator  of  the  revolving  mass, 

will  preponderate  over  the  force  of  gravity,  and 

the  particles  of  matter,  thus   acted  upon  in  an 

equatorial  zone,  will  be  lifted  up  in  a  vast  ring, 

and  finally  severed  from  the  central  mass.     This 

cloudy,    nebulous    ring   is    then   left   in    space, 

revolving  on  an  axis  coincident  with  that  of  the 

parent  mass,  and  with  a  velocity  exactly  equal 

to  that  due  to  the  central  body  at  the  moment 

it  was  disengaged. 

The  ring  of  matter,  thus  detached  and  left  to 
the  action  of  gravitation  on  its  various  particles, 
would  not  retain  its  primitive  form;  but  its 
particles,  concentrating  about  some  center  of 
superior  density,  would  eventually  assume  the 


152       THE    COSMOGONY    AS    EEVEALEDBT 

spherical  form,  and  a  planet  would  thus  be 
formed. 

This  globular  body,  in  its  primitive  condition 
a  vaporous  mass,  by  a  more  rapid  radiation  of 
its'  heat  would  ultimately  solidify,  and  present 
all  the  phenomena  of  the  solid  globe  we  inhabit. 
In  case  we  examine  the  peculiarities  of  condi- 
tion of  the  imaginary  planet  thus  formed,  we 
shall  find  an  astonishing  similitude  between  it 
and  those  in  actual  existence.  It  must  revolve 
in  its  orbit  in  the  same  direction  in  which  the 
parent  mass  rotates.  It  must  revolve  in  a  plane 
nearly  coincident  with  the  equator  of  the  central 
body.  It  must  revolve  in  an  orbit  nearly  cir- 
cular. It  must  rotate  on  its  axis  in  the  same 
direction  in  which  it  revolves  in  its  orbit.  In 
each  of  these  particulars,  then,  it  fulfills  the 
existing  conditions  of  nature. 

If  now  we  follow  the  changes  of  the  central 
rotating  body,  we  shall  find  that  the  same  causes 
which  caused  the  evolution  of  the  first  ring  of 
matter,  must,  in  process  of  time,  produce  the 
same  results  again,  and  again,  until  a  degree  of 
condensation  is  reached  bringing  the  powers  of 


THE    PKESENT    STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY.    153 

cohesive  attraction  to  bear  on  the  particles,  and 
here  all  further  disengagement  of  matter  is  for 
ever  arrested.  Condensation  may  continue,  and 
an  increase  of  rotatory  velocity,  but  no  more 
matter  can  be  disengaged,  because  the  attraction 
of  gravitation  is  reenforced  by  the  attraction  of 
cohesion. 

The  generation  of  a  scheme  of  worlds,  under 
the  operation  of  such  laws  and  from  such  mate- 
rial, would  produce  a  system,  imitating  in  all  its 
grand  features  those  existent  in  the  present 
solar  system.  Especially  is  this  true,  in  case 
we  extend  the  hypothesis  to  the  formation  of 
satellites  around  the  primary  planets,  by  the 
same  process,  which  in  the  outset  gave  birth  to 
the  primary  from  the  sun  itself.  All  the  moving 
bodies  thus  formed  will  revolve  and  rotate  in 
the  same  direction,  and  in  this  they  must  har- 
monize with  the  rotation  of  the  sun.  They  must 
revolve  in  planes  nearly  coincident  with  the 
sun's  equator,  and  in  orbits  nearly  circular,  while 
the  moons  or  satellites  must  follow  the  same 
general  law. 

Such,  then,  is  the  exhibition  of  this  magnifi- 

7* 


154  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

cent  hypothesis.  It  can  not  be  denied  that  it 
accounts  for  a  multitude  of  phenomena  hitherto 
inexplicable,  and  wonderfully  expands  our  ideas 
of  the  majesty  and  grandeur  of  the  wisdom  of 
God.  But  it  may  justly  be  inquired,  Is  there 
any  solid  basis  for  this  amazing  superstructure  ? 
Is  it  mere  speculation  ?  or  can  any  arguments  or 
facts  be  adduced  to  give  to  it  even  the  color  of 
a  reality  ? 

We  proceed  to  answer  these  inquiries.  Are 
there  now  existent  in  the  heai^ens  any  of  these 
mighty  nebulous  globes,  such  as  the  sun  is  once 
supposed  to  have  been?  The  telescope  has 
revealed  a  class  of  bodies,  called  planetary 
nebulae.  They  are  in  the  region  of  the  fixed 
stars,  they  have  no  sensible  parallax,  they  have 
measurable  diameters,  are  evenly  shaded  with 
light,  and  located  at  such  stupendous  distances, 
they  swell  to  a  magnitude  almost  incredible,  in 
case  we  suppose  them  to  be  masses  of  vaporous 
or  nebulous  matter.  Their  diameters  must  even 
surpass  the  diameter  of  the  orbit  of  Neptune, 
the  most  remote  of  all  the  solar  planets,  and  the 
one  first  disengaged  from  the  sun,  in  case   no 


THE    PRESENT    STATE     OF    ASTRONOMY.    155 

exterior  planet  exists.  We  do  not  affirm  posi- 
tively that  these  planetary  nebulae  are  globular 
masses  of  nebulous  matter.  They,  however 
exhibit  many  of  the  characteristics  of  such 
globes,  and  admit  of  this  explanation  more  read- 
ily than  of  any  other  of  which  I  am  aware. 

Again,  in  the  heavens  we  find  vast  aggrega- 
tions of  luminous  haze,  resembling  in  every  par- 
ticular, chaotic,  amorphous   masses  of  nebulous 
matter.    It  can  not,  indeed,  be  positively  asserted 
that  any  one  of  these  masses  shall  never  be  con- 
verted, by  telescopic  reach,  into  stars,  though  it 
will  be  found,  I  think,  at  this  time,  that  there 
are  few  distinguished  astronomers  who  will  deny 
that  nebulous  clouds   do  exist  in  the  heavens. 
If,  however,  the  actual  existence  of  matter  in 
this  nebulous   condition   be   essential  to  give  a 
real  basis   to   this   theory,   may  we  not  find  it 
abundantly  exhibited  in  the  trains  of  light  which 
sometimes   accompany  comets,  and  which   occa- 
sionally   extend    a   hundred    millions    of  miles. 
The  rarity  of  these  masses  is  of  the  most  sur- 
prising character.      I  have,  on  some  occasions, 
examined  the  most  minute  telescopic  stars,  and 


156  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  EEVEALED  EY 

have  received  their  light  undimmed,  though  it 
had  penetrated  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
of  miles  of  this  cometary  matter. 

YVe  have,  then,  actually  existing  and  under 
oar  eye,  the  condition  of  matter  required  by  the 
hypothesis, — and  this  is  truly  matter,  and  sub- 
ject to  the  laws  of  motion  and  gravitation,  as  has 
been  abundantly  shown  from  the  computed 
movements  and  revolutions  of  these  nebulous 
masses.  Furthermore,  the  directions  of  the 
motion  of  comets,  the  planes  of  their  orbits,  their 
physical  condition,  and  the  curves  in  w^hich  they 
revolve,  appear  in  a  remarkable  manner  to  lend 
plausibility  to  this  theory.  In  case  we  admit 
the  formation  of  our  sun  from  a  nebulous  mass, 
we  must  extend  the  same  theory  to  the  stars, 
which  are  also  suns ;  and  hence  it  will  arise  that 
in  the  concentration  of  matter  into  mighty  globes, 
about  certain  centers  of  attraction,  there  v^^ill  be 
fragments  of  matter  occupying  regions  of  space, 
in  the  interstices  of  these  primordial  globes, 
which  will  be  long  held  in  equilibrio  by  the 
united  attraction  of  the  masses  by  which  they 
are  surrounded.     A  time  finally  comes  when  a 


THE    PRESENT     STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY,    157 

preponderance  determines  in  favor  of  the  attrac- 
tion of  one  sun  above  all  others,  and  towards 
this  one  the  nebulous  mass  slowly  begins  to 
move.  An  acceleration  of  motion  follows  every 
decrease  of  distance,  till,  finally,  a  strange  body 
of  portentous  appearance  invades  the  heavens, 
and  we  behold  a  comet  descending  perpendicu- 
larly, or  with  any  obliquity  to  the  ecliptic,  and 
plunging  apparently  with  incredible  velocity  into 
the  sun.  In  case  its  direction  of  motion  be  not 
exactly  to  the  sun's  center,  it  will  sweep  round 
this  body,  and  receding  from  the  center,  finally 
revisit  the  region  of  space  from  which  it  emana- 
ted. Thus  we  perceive  that,  in  case  this  be  the 
true  origin  of  comets,  they  ought  to  visit  us 
from  every  quarter  of  the  heavens,  their  motions 
should  be  direct  and  retrograde,  and  their  orbits 
ought  to  be  elongated  elKpses,  or  possibly  hyper- 
bolas or  j)arabolas. 

It  may  still  be  demanded,  in  case  these  pri- 
meval rings  are  the  origin  of  the  planets  and 
satellites,  why  may  not  some  single  specimen 
yet  remain  as  proof  positive  of  this  incredible 
hypothesis  ?   Here,  again  we  are  able  to  declare, 


158  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

by  the  aid  of  the  telescope,  that  these  rings 
appear  to  exist.  If  it  were  possible  to  direct 
your  vision  to  the  planet  Saturn,  through  a  tube 
of  superior  power,  you  would  behold  an  exhibi- 
tion of  exquisite  beauty.  You  would  perceive 
a  luminous  globe  of  vast  dimensions,  belted  with 
stripes,  and  exquisitely  shaded  from  center  to 
circumference ;  but,  more  wonderful,  you  would 
behold,  engirdling  this  planet,  a  broad  and  lus- 
trous ring  of  light,  of  oval  figure,  and  exhibiting 
the  most  beautiful  curvilinear  outline.  Here  are 
two,  possibly  three,  of  the  primitive  rings,  now 
existing  in  space,  and  separated  from  their  pri- 
mary central  planet.  These  rings  are  of  great 
dimensions.  The  exterior  diameter  of  the  outer 
ring  is  nearly  two  hundred  thousand,  while  the 
inner  edge  of  the  nearest  ring  is  separated 
some  twenty  thousand  miles  from  the  body  of 
Saturn.  These  rings  are  revolving  with  swift 
velocity,  about  an  axis  coincident  with  that  of 
the  planet,  and  in.  every  particular  corresponding 
to  the  hypothesis,  that  they  were  at  some  period 
far  back  in  the  history  of  time,  disengaged  by 
centrifugal  force  from  the  body  of  the  planet, 


THE    PRESENT    STATE    OF    ASTRONOMY.    159 

and  left  revolving  in  space.  It  is  about  Saturn 
especially  that  we  might  expect  to  find  rings,  if 
anywhere  in  the  solar  system.  It  is  of  vast 
dimensions  ;  its  specific  gravity  is  scarcely 
greater  than  that  of  cork;  it  has  a  multitude 
of  satellites  (no  less  than  eight)  revolving  exte- 
rior to  the  rings,  the  nearest  one  approaching 
very  closely  to  the  surface  of  Saturn,  and  per- 
forming its  revolution  around  that  body  in  a  few 
hours.  The  matter  composing  the  rings  must 
then  have  been  greatly  condensed  (compara- 
tively) when  severed  from  the  planet,  and 
would,  if  ever,  retain  its  primitive  form.  The 
conditions  of  the  equilibrium  of  these  rings  are 
of  great  complexity,  and  speaking  as  finite 
beings,  it  would  seem  utterly  impossible  that 
the  rings  could  have  been  built  and  adjusted  to 
the  planet  after  its  projection  in  space.  It  is 
true  that,  at  the  bidding  of  God,  these  stupen- 
dous circles  of  light  could  have  started  into 
being,  and  at  the  same  command  have  taken  up 
their  present  astonishing  relations  to  the  world 
they  encircle.  But  this  is  contrary  to  the  ana- 
logy of  God's  creative  providence.    The  more  we 


160  THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

study  this  astonishing  organism,  the  more  are 
we  convinced  that  these  appendages  must  have 
been  evolved  from  the  central  orb  by  the  action 
of  some  great  law,  effecting  in  their  severance 
all  the  conditions  of  permanent  equilibrium.  I 
never  behold  this  resplendent  system  without 
feelings  of  awe  and  admiration.  When  I  reflect 
how  delicately  these  stupendous  arches  are 
poised  in  the  heavens,  how  slight  a  cause  would 
destroy  their  stability,  it  seems  possible  that 
even  under  one's  eye  the  balance  may  be  lost, 
and  the  whole  fabric  rush  into  utter  and  hope- 
less ruin  !  Indeed,  so  difficult  is  it  to  render  a 
satisfiictory  account  of  the  stability  of  these 
rings  when  regarded  as  solid  (as  they  have 
been  considered),  that  a  distinguished  American 
geometer  has  reached  the  conclusion  by  mathe- 
matical reasoning,  that  these  rings  are  not  solid 
but  fluid,  and  that  their  particles  are  free  to 
move  among  each  other,  that  in  this  way  the 
figures  of  the  rings  are  for  ever  changing,  sway- 
ing to  and  fro,  like  the  ocean  tides,  to  the  action 
of  the  disturbing  forces,  which,  if  the  rings  Avere 
solid,   might  drag  them  from   their   orbits,   and 


THE  PRESENT  STATE  OF  AST  EC  NO  MY.  16.1 

limi  them  on  the  body  of  the  pknot,  ui^ver  again 
to  be  separated  from  it.  Y/e  aro  ziot  yet  quite 
prepared  to  adopt  tliis  startling  view  of  the  sys- 
tem, while  the  flxcts  announced  show,  beyond  a 
doubtj  the  exceeding  perplexity  which  hangs 
over  this  beautiful  but  enigmatical  system. 

If  nov/  we  return  to  the  examination  of  the 
actual  condition  of  the  great  center  of  our  sys- 
tem, we  do  not  find  any  fact  which  '6o\n  weaken 
the  testimony  already  adduced.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  are  struck  with  the  concurrent  tes- 
timony presented  by  this  central  orb.  Its  stu- 
pendous magnitude  is  the  first  thing  which 
strikes  us ;  its  intense  heat,  so  infinitely  superior 
to  that  of  any  planet ;  the  lowness  of  its  specific 
gravity,  only  one  quarter  as  great  as  water ;  the 
vast  extent  of  the  atmosphere  by  which  it  is 
surrounded, — all  conspire  in  testimony  to  the 
possible  truth  of  the  nebular  hypothesis.  But, 
above  all,  we  are  struck  with  the  wonderful  fact 
of  the  slow  and  majestic  rotation  of  the  sun  on 
his  axis !  How  astonishing  is  this  !  Why 
should  this  mighty  orb  rotate  ?  We  can  see 
why  the  planets  should  revolve  on  their  axes ; 


162     THE    COSMOGONY    AS    KEVEALED    BY 

we  can  understand  why  the  earth  we  inhabit 
should  successively  present  each  of  its  faces  to 
the  sun.  In  this  motion  of  rotation  we  perceive 
the  ultimate  cause  of  the  vicissitudes  of  day  and 
night,  so  necessary  and  so  grateful  to  earth's 
inhabitants,  and  by  analogy  we  may  extend  this 
same  reasoning  to  the  planets ;  but  nothing  of  a 
like  character  can  carry  our  reasoning  to  the  sun. 
Its  gravitating  power  would  be  just  as  great 
without  rotation  ;  its  floods  of  light  would  be  just 
as  inexhaustible  without  rotation;  its  vivifying 
heat  would  fructify  the  earth,  and  give  life  to 
the  animal  and  vegetable  world  just  as  well 
without  rotation.  Every  function  of  this  mighty 
center  would  be  just  as  perfectly  performed  in 
case  it  were  absolutely  fixed  and  immovable. 
We  again  ask  in  wonder,  Why  does  the  sun  in 
twenty-eight  days  perform  a  complete  revolution 
on  its  axis  ?  No  answer  can  be  given,  unless 
we  revert  for  explanation  to  the  seemingly  bold 
speculation  we  are  discussing.  Admit  this 
strange  theory,  and  all  difficulty  disappears; 
and  in  the  rotation  of  the  sun  we  find  the  ulti- 
mate cause  of  the  admirable  scheme  of  revolving 


THE     PRESENT     STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY.     163 

worlds  by  which  it  is  surrounded.  The  rotation 
on  an  axis,  now,  is  but  the  necessary  concomi- 
tant of  this  higher  function  of  the  sun.  If  this 
theory  be  false,  in  how  many  dilTerent  ways 
mio-ht  its  falsehood  have  been  made  manifest. 
Suppose  we  had  found  the  period  of  rotation  of 
the  sun  on  his  axis  to  be  bnger  than  that  of  any 
one  of  the  surrounding  planets  in  his  orbit :  this 
would  have  falsified  the  theory.  Suppose  we 
had  discovered  that  it  required  more  time  for 
Saturn  or  Jupiter  to  rotate  on  their  axes,  than 
for  their  nearest  moon  to  revolve  round  them  in 
its  orbit :  this  would  have  falsified  the  theory. 
Suppose  we  had  found  any  planet  or  satellite 
revolving  slower  than  the  one  exterior  to  its 
orbit :  this  would  have  destroyed  the  theory. 
No  one  of  these  phenomena  has  been  observed. 
On  the  contrary,  there  is  an  admirable  harmony 
everywhere  existent,  and  all  concurring  to  give 
the  appearance  of  probability  to  this  seemingly 
wild  hypothesis.  The  sun,  then,  in  all  its  phe- 
nomena, accords  with  the  theory.  We  have 
already  mentioned  the  phenomenon  attendant  on 
the  sun,  and  called  the  Zodiacal  light.     This,  as 


164      THE     COSMOGONY    AS    REVEALED    BY 

has  been  said,  was  conjectured  to  be  an  immense 
atmosphere  surrounding  the  sun  of  uncondensed 
jiebulous  matter.  A  deeper  penetration  into  the 
phenomena  of  the  showers  of  meteors  denomina- 
ted the  shooting  stars,  seems  to  connect,  in  a 
definite  manner,  these  exhibitions  with  the  revo- 
lution of  a  vast  nehidous  ring,  revolving  in  space, 
and  at  certain  seasons  approaching  sufficiently 
near  the  earth's  atmosphere,  to  detach  fragments 
of  its  body,  and  to  fire  them  by  their  swift  velo- 
city through  this  comparatively  dense  resisting 
medium.  Should  this  theory  be  adopted,  we 
have  among  the  primary  planets  a  specimen  of  a 
l)rimitive  ring,  still  retaining  its  nebulous  char- 
acter, and  of  such  exceeding  tenuity  as  scarcely 
to  be  visible  except  under  the  most  favorable 
circumstances. 

Can  it  be  possible,  then,  that  the  firm  and 
solid  giobe  we  inhabit  could  ever  have  resembled 
so  ethereal  a  body  ?  Was  there  ever  a  period 
in  the  past  when  the  material  of  this  earth  con- 
stituted a  A'ast  nebulous  ring  ?  Could  this  ring 
ever  have  been  converted  into  a  globular  mass  a 
half  a-  million  of  miles  in  diameter  ?     May  the 


THE     PRESENT     STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY.     165 

moon  that  now  floats  in  space,  two  hundred  and 
forty  thousand  miles  from  the  earth,  ever  have 
been  a  portion  of  its  mass  ?  These  are  the  mar- 
velous questions  demanding  an  affirmative  an- 
swer, in  case  we  adopt  the  nebular  hypothesis. 

When  we  examine  the  rocky  crust  of  the 
earth,  and  perceive  its  density  and  solidity,  we 
are  almost  disposed  to  doubt  the  possibility  of 
its  ever  having  been  different.  But  we  must 
not  be  governed  too  much  by  appearances. 
There  is  not  a  rock  nor  a  metal,  however  solid, 
that  heat  w^ill  not  dissipate  into  vapor.  Even 
the  diamond  itself  may,  by  heat,  be  made  to 
float  in  the  atmosphere.  Indeed,  the  solids  are 
only  peculiar  combinations  of  gases.  Analyze 
the  materials  of  the  three  great  kingdoms  of 
nature,  and  we  reduce  them  all  to  gases.  The 
waters  of  the  ocean  are  composed  of  two  gases ; 
the  rocks,  mostly  composed  of  gases ;  the  vege- 
tables principally  composed  of  gases  ; — in  short, 
we  know  that  one  single  gas,  oxygen,  constitutes 
nearly,  if  not  quite  one  half,  of  the  solid  material 
of  the  earth  now  known  to  man. 

The  rapid  transitions  of  bodies  from  the  gas- 


166   THE  COSMOGONY  A-S  REVEALED  BY 

ecus  form  to  the  liquid,  and  from  the  liquid  form 
to  the  solid,  is  too  familiar  to  aU  to  require  more 
than  a  passing  notice.  Heat,  then,  is  the  all- 
powerful  solvent  of  aU  organic  matter,  and  by 
heat  the  solid  earth  itself  may  be  again  dis- 
solved ;  and  if  so,  why  may  we  not  believe  that, 
by  the  same  agent,  its  now  solid  materials  once 
were  held  in  solution,  constituting  the  vaporous 
mass  demanded  by  the  nebular  hypothesis. 

Here,  then,  we  might  rest  the  discussion  of 
this  subject,  with  the  conclusion  that  enough  has 
been  said  to  demonstrate  the  possible,  if  not  the 
probable  truth  of  this  (at  first  sight)  impossible 
theory.  But  we  must  yet  advance  one  step 
further,  and  present  an  argument  which,  when 
combined  with  all  we  have  said,  so  cements  the 
whole  into  one  mass  of  concurrent  evidence, 
that,  until  a  better  theory  be  advanced,  it  seems 
impossible  longer  to  reject  the  nebular  hypoth- 
esis. 

Within  a  short  time  a  remarkable  relation  has 
been  discovered  to  exist  between  the  periods  of 
rotation  of  the  planets  on  their  axes,  and  their 
masses,   or   quantities   of  matter  and  distances 


THE    PRESENT     STATE     OF     ASTRONOMY.       167 

from  each  other  combined.  This  relation  is  too 
technical  to  be  stated  here  in  mathematical  lan- 
guage. We  present  the  following  popular  expo- 
sition of  the  principle  :  If  the  quantity  of  matter 
contained  in  each  of  the  three  planets,  Jupiter, 
Saturn,  and  Uranus,  was  accurately  known,  and 
their  mean  distances  from  the  sun  perfectly 
determined,  then  the  principle  of  the  new  dis- 
covery would  enable  us,  from  these  data,  to 
compute  or  predict  the  exact  time  in  which 
Saturn  (the  middle  planet  of  the  three)  would 
revolve  on  its  axis. 

The  earth's  period  of  rotation  on  its  axis  is 
then  dependent  on  the  quantity  of  matter  in  the 
planets  Venus  and  Mars,  and  upon  the  distances 
of  the  orbits  of  these  planets  from  the  orbit  of 
the  earth.  This  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most 
astonishing  facts  ever  revealed.  That  Mars  and 
Venus  should  sway  the  earth  in  its  orbitual 
motion,  results  necessarily  from  the  law  of  uni- 
versid  gravitation.  But  how,  or  in  what  way, 
these  far-distant  planets  could  ever  have  exerted 
the  slightest  influence  in  determining  the  period 
of  the  earth's  rotation,  is  a  mystery  of  mysteries, 


168   THE  COSMOGONY  AS  EEYEALED  BY 

and  but  for  the  solution  rendered  by  the  nebular 
iiypothesis,  would  seemingly  remiiiii  an  enigma 
for  ever.  ^ 

At  this  moment  \ve  are  absolutely  certain  that 
neither  one  nor  the  other  of  these  planets  exerts 
the  smallest  influence  on  the  earth's  period  of 
rotation.  It  is  uniform,  and  has  been  invariable 
for  two  thousand  years,  while  these  planets  have 
taken  up  every  possible  position  relative  to  the 
earth.  If,  then,  the  velocity  of  rotation  of  the 
earth  ever  was  dependent  on  their  action,  as  this 
discovery  demonstrates,  we  must  go  very  far 
back  in  the  history  of  creation  to  learn  how 
that  primordial  influence  might  have  been  ex- 
erted. The  subject  is  difficult.  Permit  me  to 
illustrate.  Suppose  w^e  should  find  a  piece  of 
machinery,  in  w^hich  there  were  three  hori- 
zontal wheels  revolving  on  vertical  axes,  near 
each  other  but  not  in  contact.  We  examine  the 
motions  of  these  three  wdieels,  we  measure  their 
diameters,  and  we  find  that  their  periods  of  rota- 
tion are  precisely  such  as  they  ought  to  have 
been,  provided  that  they  once  v\^ere  in  contact, 
and  that  a  motion  given  to  one  had  by  it  been 


THE     PRESENT     STATE     OF     ASTKONOMY.       169 

communicated  to  the  others.  This  exact  rela- 
tion existing,  we  should  be  strongly  tempted  to 
believe  that  the  primordial  state  of  these  wheels 
was  the  contact  of  their  circumferences,  and 
hence  arose  the  beautiful  relation  between  their 
diameters  and  periods  of  rotation. 

This  merely  illustrates  the  idea  of  working 
backward  from  present  relations  to  those  which 
possibly  existed  at  some  distant  period  in  the 
past  history  of  the  bodies  related.  Let  us  now 
come  nearer  to  the  case  of  nature. 

There  is  no  one  who  may  not  have  noticed 
the  beautiful  ring  of  steam  which  is  occasionally 
ejected  from  the  escape-pipe.  It  rises  in  the 
form  of  an  annulus  or  ring,  and  floats  sometimes 
for  several  seconds  in  the  atmosphere.  The  par- 
ticles of  this  annulus  and  the  matter  of  the 
entire  ring  itself,  are  all  revolving  in  the  plane 
of  the  ring.  Now  suppose  two  other  such  rings, 
the  one  interior,  the  other  exterior  to  the  one 
first  imagined ;  the  three  are  now  revolving, 
mutually  affecting  each  other  by  actual  contact 
of  their  particles  upon  their  circumferences. 
Suppose  these  rings  to  contract  by  loss  of  heat, 


170   THE  COSMOGONY  AS  REVEALED  BY 

till  finally  they  are  severed  from  each  other,  and 
at  last  each  breaks,  its  form  condenses  into  a 
small  globe,  and  three  little  planets  are  formed. 
Now  the  effect  of  their  original  condition  of 
actual  contact,  can  never  be  lost.  Its  impress  is 
left,  and  possibly  the  rotations  of  these  imagin- 
ary planets  will  have  been  so  modified  by  such 
primitive  contact  as  to  remain,  the  perpetual 
evidences  of  this  original,  primordial  condition. 

Such,  then,  seems  to  be  the  case  with  the 
planets  of  our  system.  In  their  primitive  con- 
dition, as  immense  annuli  of  gaseous  matter, 
their  circumferences  once  v/ere  in  physical  con- 
tact. The  quantity  of  matter  in  each,  and  their 
relative  diameters,  would  determine  the  influ- 
ence that  each  would  exert  on  the  particles  of 
the  other.  This  influence  has  determined  the 
periods  of  rotation,  and  these  periods  are  now 
so  related  to  the  masses  and  distances  of  the 
interior  and  exterior  planets,  as  to  perpetuate 
for  ever  the  astonishing  evidence  of  their  primi- 
tive condition. 

Doubtless  much  reaiaiiis  yet  to  be  done  to 
develop  fully  this    and   other   matters    of  like 


THE     PRESENT     STATE    OF     ASTRONOMY .       171 

import  bearing  on  this  subject.  But  this  much 
must  be  allowed,  that  the  farther  we  advance, 
the  deeper  we  penetrate  the  arcana  of  Nature, 
the  more  emphatically  does  it  declare  the  proba- 
bility of  the  truth  of  the  nebular  cosmogony  of 
the  universe. 

If  it  should  now  be  found  that  this  theory 
coincides,  as  far  as  we  can  understand,  wdth  the 
Mosaic  account  of  creation,  we  can  safely  pro- 
nounce that  in  this  particular,  in  the  present 
state  of  astronomical  science,  the  revelations  of 
Nature  and  of  that  book  which  professes  to 
come  from  God,  are  not  at  variance.  It  is  to 
the  consideration  of  this  subject  we  next  invite 
your  attention. 


LECTURE     IV. 

THE  MOSAIC  ACCOUNT  OF  CREATION  COMPARED  WITH 

THE  COSMOGONY  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  AS  REVEALED 

IN  THE  ACTUAL  CONDITION  OF  ASTRONOMY. 


LECTUEE    lY. 

THE  MOSAIC  ACCOUNT  OF  CKEATION,  COMPAKED  WTfH 
THE  COSMOGONY  OF  THE  UNIVERSE  AS  REVEALED  IN 
THE    ACTUAL    CONDITION    OF    ASTRONCM^. 

"  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens 
and  the  earth."  This  is  the  snbHme  declaration 
of  an  historian  whose  writings  are  nearly  a 
thousand  years  anterior  to  those  of  all  others 
now  in  existence.  It  is  the  opening  declaration 
of  that  wonderful  volume  which  professes  to  have 
come  from  the  ever-hving  God.  It  was. recorded 
more  than  three  thousand  five  hundred  years 
ago.  It  was  written  at  a  time  when  darkness, 
deep,  impenetrable,  covered  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  at  a  time  when  from  one  extremity 
of  the  peopled  globe  to  the  other,  no  true  knowl- 
edge of  the  universe  prevailed.  Read  the  lan- 
guage, Mark  well  the  words.  Observe  their 
order  of  arrangement.  "  In  the  beginning." 
Not  six  or  sixty  thousand  years  ago;  not  six 
natural  days  prior  to  the  creation  of  Adam ;  not 


176  THE     MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

on  the  first  day  of  the  earliest  age,  some  millions 
of  years  backward,  as  the  Hindoos  assert ; — but 
simply, — in  the  beginning.  Mind,  on  the  swiftest 
and  strongest  pinions  of  thought,  may  strive  in 
vain  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  that  term. 
Who  shall  set  limits  and  bounds  to  the  creative 
energy  of  God  ?  Who  shall  say  that,  from  all 
eternity  up  to  within  that  point  of  time,  six 
thousand  years,  no  act  of  creation  had  been  put 
forth  by  divine  omnipotence  ?  Moses  did  not 
thus  dare  to  circumscribe  the  powers  of  the 
Almighty.  He  declares  that  in  the  beginning, 
when  in  the  wisdom  of  God  creation  was  to 
begin,  the  fiat  w^ent  forth,  and  God  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth.  Jehovah  is  the  agent  in 
this  grand  drama  of  Nature.  Whether  a  spirit- 
ual universe  then  existed,  we  know  not;  whether 
thrones,  dominions,  princedoms,  virtues,  powers, 
the  spiritual  hierarchs  of  heaven,  were  then 
present  to  celebrate  this  new  development  of 
divine  power,  we  know  not:  we  are  only  told 
the  work  was  God's  exclusive,  almighty  effort. 
It  w^as  a  creation, — a  calling  into  being  that 
which  had  not  previously  existed.     It  was  not 


OF    CREATION.  177 

an  organization  of  existent  chaos.  There  was 
no  chaos,  so  far  as  matter  is  concerned  ;  bound- 
less, interminable  vacuity  reigned  throughout  the 
empire  of  space.  But  a  new  era  was  to  dawn. 
Material  creation  was  now  to  commence.  The 
beginning  of  time  was  attained.  The  on-going 
of  eternity  was  interrupted,  and  an  unknown 
display,  grand,  magnificent,  unutterable,  was 
now  to  be  made  to  the  angelic  spirits,  if  such 
then  existed. 

"  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth." 
Mark  well  the  order.  The  more  exalted  and 
dignified  takes  rank.  Not  the  earth  and  the 
heavens,  but  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  And 
now  w^hat  was  this  creation  thus  briefly  but 
sublimely  announced  ?  Was  it  indeed  an  instan- 
taneous peopling  of  space  with  the  mighty 
globes  that  now  move  and  shine  ?  Did  space, 
on  the  instant,  flame  and  blaze  with  myriads  of 
glorious  suns  and  revolving  planets  ?  Were 
these  w^ondrous  orbs  instantly  projected  into 
space,  and  taught  to  describe  their  amazing 
paths  ?  AVas  the  solid  earth,  moulded  in  the 
Creator's  hand,  launched  upon  its  never  ending 


178  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

career?  All  this  is  impossible.  No  such 
announcement  is  made ;  and  the  yery  reverse 
of  all  this  is  true.  The  first  grand  act  was  the 
calling  into  being  the  matter,  out  of  which  and 
from  which  the  heavens  and  the  earth  vrero 
to  be  fashioned  and  formed.  It  was  the  first, 
glorious,  stupendous  act  of  physical  creation. 
It  was  bringing  into  being  that  which  had  not 
previously  existed,  the  provision  of  inexhaust- 
ible material  from  which  a  universe  was  to  be 
formed. 

This  is  abundantly  demonstrated  in  the  suc- 
ceeding declaration,  in  which  we  are  told  that 
the  earth  was  without  form,  and  void.  How 
could  this  earth  have  been  without  form^  if  it 
had  been  already  fashioned  as  a  globe?  How 
could  it  be  void,  if  its  solid  rocks  already  rubbed 
its  sides,  and  its  huge  mountain  ranges  lifted 
their  barriers  to  the  clouds.  The  earth  was 
without  form,  and  void.  The  matter  for  its 
future  formation  existed,  but  as  yet  no  fashion- 
ing had  been  accomplished, — all  was  without 
form.  Primordial  atoms  filled  the  deep  pro- 
found.    God  was  the  mighty  center;  Infinitude 


OF    CREATION.  179 

alone  could  tell  the  boundary.  "  And  darkness 
rested  on  the  face  of  the  great  deep."  What 
deep  ?  Not  surely  the  ocean,  for  as  yet  there 
was  none.  It  was  the  great  deep  of  unfathom- 
able space  ',  a  deep  so  profound  that  no  line  can 
fathom  its  profoundities,  no  eye  but  God's  can 
penetrate  its  dark  domain. 

Here,  then,  it  would  seem,  is  pictured  forth, 
in  language  not  to  be  misunderstood,  a  jn'imitive 
form  or  condition  of  matter,  a  primordial  exist- 
ence, anterior  to  sun,  or  planet,  or  blazing  star. 
Darkness  rested  on  the  face  of  the  great  deep, 
and  yet  in  the  beginning  God  created  the  heav- 
ens and  the  earth.  How,  again  I  ask,  can  this 
be  construed  to  mean  the  visible  heavens,  and 
existent  earth,  if  darkness  yet  rested  over  the 
great  deep  ?  Every  expression  is  positive  and 
absolute ;  and  whether  there  is  revealed  in  the 
physical  heavens  or  not,  any  evidence  of  tlie 
fact  that  matter  once  filled  the  capacious  womb 
of  space,  in  some  existent  condition,  unclothed 
with  any  of  its  present  attributes,  this  is  assur- 
edly asserted,  if  we  can  read  aright,  by  the 
sacred  historian. 


180  THE     MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

Let  it  be  further  remarked,  that  the  word 
here  translated  "  created/'  is  nowhere  else  em- 
ployed throughout  this  narrative.  There  was 
but  one  creation,  and  that  was  of  matter,  and  in 
the  beginning.  From  all  which  v/e  draw  the 
conclusion,  that  Moses  asserts  that  the  matter 
of  which  the  existent  physical  universe  is  built, 
was  once  without  form,  and  void,  filling  with  its 
ultimate  particles  the  boundless  domain  of  space, 
while  darkness  covered  the  face  of  the  great  deep ! 

Such,  then,  is  the  first  grand  act  in  the  drama 
of  creation.  Matter  is  now  existent,  but  form- 
less, motionless,  void,  filling  immensity,  vv'aiting 
the  next  high  command  from  Him  who  called 
it  into  being.  '*  And  the  Spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters."  Then  it  was  that 
matter  first  felt  the  vivifying  power  of  God. 
We  can  not  for  one  moment  conceive  that  the 
waters  of  the  ocean  are  here  alluded  to.  It  was 
the  vast  ocean  of  matter  which  filled  the  bound- 
aries of  space.  This  fathomless,  interminable 
ocean,  without  limit,  without  bounds^  this  it 
was  on  which  the  Spirit  of  God  moved,  and 
gave  to  each  particle  of  matter  its  now  eternal 


OF     CREATION.  181 

function.  Then  first  each  particle  of  this  vast 
unformed  universe  of  matter  felt  and  acknowl- 
edged the  attractive  power  of  every  other  ;  uni- 
versal gravitation  asserted  its  empire,  and  God's 
Spirit  taught  the  ponderable  particle  the  laws  of 
motion. 

"  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light ;  and 
there  was  light."  How  simple,  how  subhme, 
this  stupendous  declaration  !  Well  may  the 
Greek  have  marked  its  power  and  recognized 
its  grandeur.  God  uttered  the  command,  and 
quicker  than  thought  the  light-giving  principle, 
the  law  of  production  and  propagation  of  this 
great  mystery,  fills  the  universe  of  space.  Struck 
by  the  moving  atoms,  its  billows  heaved  in  gen- 
tle undulations,  and  borne  on  its  crested  billow, 
light  yet  struggling  in  gloom  spread  feebly 
through  the  abyss  of  space. 

The  miglity  reservoirs  of  light,  which  now 
flame  on  high,  did  not  exist.  There  was  as  yet 
no  sun  to  flood  with  light  the  boundless  regions 
of  his  domain;  the  stars  were  not;  and  yet 
without  these,  '^  God  said,  Let  there  be  light, 
and  there  was  light." 


182  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

Now,  if  this  book  be  an  imposture,  a  cun- 
ningly-devised fable,  hovf  marvelously  has  it 
been  devised.  How  utterly  irreconcilable  with 
all  the  apparent  phenomena  of  nature,  to  pro- 
claim the  creation  of  light  prior  to  the  formation 
of  sun  or  star.  Why  v;as  this  ?  How  can  it  be 
accounted  for,  if  we  suppose  the  description  to 
have  originated  with  mere  man.  Moses  was 
learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians. 
He  was  a  poet,  a  legislator,  a  philosopher. 
How,  then,  was  he  induced  to  put  forth  a  sys- 
tem of  creation  so  utterly  at  war  with  the  out- 
ward, palpable  appearances  of  nature. 

This  same  subject  has  perplexed  the  wisest 
commentators.  Some,  like  Milton,  have  had 
recourse  to  an  extraordinary  fiction. 

*     *     *     And  forthwith  light 
Sprung  from  the  deep,  and  from  her  native  east, 
To  journey  through  the  airy  gloom  began, 
Sphered  in  a  radiant  cloud.     *     *     * 

By  this  wonderful  device,  of  which  Moses  says 
nothing,  light  is  made  to  journey  from  east  to 
west,  and  thus  produce  the  change  of  day  and 


OF    CREATION.  183 

iiiglit.  I  can  not  but  feel  such  an  hypothesis  to 
be  not  only  unnecessary,  but  degrading.  For 
what  23urpose  should  light  now  be  throned  in 
''a  radiant  cloud?"  to  take  up  a  journey  about 
a.  non-existent  earth  ?  to  produce  an  evening 
and  morning,  when  the  evening  and  morning 
now  marked  by  men  could  have  had  no  being. 
Are  we  not  led  to  higher  thoughts  by  this 
sublime  announcement  ?  We  know  not  what 
light  is.  Thus  far  God  has  chosen  to  con- 
ceal the  character  of  this  grand  effect.  One 
thing,  however,  seems  to  be  certain.  There 
exists  throughout  all  space  a  medium  or  elastic 
fluid,  imponderable,  intangible,  whose  undula- 
tions, excited  by  certain  bodies,  produce  the 
phenomenon  of  light.  At  the  command  of  God, 
"  Let  there  be  hght,"  this  ethereal  fluid  filled 
the  universe,  and  between  it  and  the  particles 
of  matter  a  law  of  rotation  was  instantly  estab- 
lished, by  v^hich  the  fiint  dawn  of  the  morn- 
ing of  time  broke  upon  the  universe.  It  was 
the  beginning  of  a  great  day,  one  of  the  mighty 
days  of  eternity, — a  day  which  has  grown 
brighter  through  all  past  revolving  ages, — a  day 


184  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

that  can  only  end  when  God  shall  bid  the  physi- 
cal universe  depart,  and  all  shall  be  spirit  again ! 
In  this  dim  portraiture  of  Moses,  we  perceive 
a  strange  accordance  with  the  order  of  creation, 
as  derived  from  our  preceding  investigation. 
After  the  creation  of  matter,  and  the  enactment 
of  the  great  laws  of  motion  and  gravitation,  the 
production  of  light  should  follow  next,  in  the 
grand  progressive  movement.  But  let  us  not 
here  mingle  cause  and  effect.  It  was  because 
God  commanded,  that  light  was.  Light  would 
not  have  followed  as  a  consequence  of  the  con- 
densation of  matter,  for  there  would  then  have 
been  no  vehicle  for  its  transmission ;  and  there- 
fore there  could  have  been  no  light.  For  its 
production,  two  things  are  required, — the  elastic 
medium,  and  bodies  to  set  this  medium  in 
motion  with  the  required  velocit}^  of  undulation. 
All  matter  does  not  possess  the  power  of  caus- 
ing the  elastic  medium  to  undulate  with  sneli 
velocity  as  to  produce  light  to  the  human  eye. 
For  its  use  a  very  restricted  limit  of  vibration  is 
required.  For  some  eyes  tliis  limit  may  be 
extended;  for  others  it  may  be  contracied.     But 


OF     CREATION.  185 

the  grand  principle  God  called  into  being,  when 
he  said,  "  Let  there  be  light." 

The  severance  between  light  and  darkness  is 
far  more  absolute  than  is  apparent  from  a  casual 
examination.  The  laws  of  vibration  of  the 
elastic  medium,  by  whose  undulations  light  is 
either  formed  or  x)ropagated,  must  fall  within 
very  restricted  limits ;  hence,  by  the  enactment 
of  these  laws  of  action,  God  separated  most 
emphatically  between  light  and  darkness.  We 
are  mxoreover  informed  that  "  God  saw  the  light 
that  it  was  good  ;"  the  laws  established  were 
perfect;  this  medium  by  which  the  existence  of 
the  physical  universe  was  to  be  revealed  to  intel- 
ligent beings,  had  already  commenced  its  flight 
through  space.  The  result  was  in  accordance 
with  the  wdll  of  the  Divine  Architect,  the  end 
was  accomplished,  perfection  reigned. 

And  now  we  are  told,  "  God  called  the  light 
Day,  and  darkness  he  called  Night."  The  intro- 
duction of  this  passage,  in  so  grand  and  sublime 
a  descriplion,  occasions  some  degree  of  perplex- 
ity. At  the  time  this  naming  of  day  and  night 
took  place  there  was  neither  the  one  nor  the 


186  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOTNT 

other.  There  was  no  sun,  and  no  earth ;  and  if 
any  naming  actually  took  place,  it  could  only 
have  been  in  anticipation.  If  we  might  be  per- 
mitted shghty  to  paraphrase  the  passage,  its 
accordance  with  the  statements  with  which  it 
stands  connected,  would  be  complete,  while  an 
appropriateness  is  at  once  evident  for  such  an 
additional  explanation.  Had  the  passage  been 
written.  And  God  called  the  light  luhat  we  call 
Day,  and  the  darkness  tvhat  tve  call  Night,  then 
it  becomes  a  simple  explanation  of  the  meaning 
of  the  terms,  light  and  darkness,  and  all  perplex- 
ity is  removed. 

This  closes  the  account  of  the  first  grand 
epoch  in  creation.  Matter  was  called  into  being, 
the  laws  of  gravitation  and  motion  wxre  estab- 
lished, and  functions  of  all  the  varying  particles 
of  matter  had  been  assigned.  The  vast  and 
incomprehensible  machinery  for  the  production 
and  propagation  of  light  was  finished ;  light 
itself  had  sped  at  the  bidding  of  God  from  the 
center  to  the  circumference  ;  all  was  perfect ; — 
and  here  closes  the  first  great  period.  The 
evening  and  the  morning,  the  beginning  and  the 


OF     CREATION.  187 

ending,  the  night  of  ancient  vacuity  was  closed, 
and  the  morning  of  a  new  creation  had  dawned ; 
the  first  day,  the  primary  period  of  time  was 
now  complete. 

Such,  at  least,  is  the  interpretation  which  is 
possible.  Great  perplexity  has  arisen  from  the 
use  of  the  word  day  in  this  connection.  If  we 
understand  by  the  term  day  a  period  of  twenty- 
four  hours,  such  as  now  exist,  the  statement  of 
Moses  is  perfectly  inexplicable.  The  writer 
knew  as  well  as  we  do,  that  a  day, — a  natural 
day, — is  produced  by  the  apparent  revolution  of 
the  sun  about  the  earth.  This  is  a  matter  of 
vulgar  observation ;  and  he  could  never  have 
so  far  lost  sight  of  the  possibility  of  his  account 
of  this  wonderful  event,  the  creation  of  a  uni- 
verse, as  to  speak  of  the  natural  evening  and 
mrrning  constituting  a  literal  day,  to  terminate 
the  work  of  God,  when  there  was  no  possible 
means  by  which  a  day  could  be  produced.  The 
word  translated  Day,  can  not,  tlien,  as  here 
employed,  mean  a  period  of  tvrenty-four  hours. 
Indeed,  we  are  informed,  in  the  Second  Chapter 
of  Genesis,  that  "  these  are  the  generation  of  the 


188  THE     MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

heavens  and  of  the  earth,  when  they  were  ere* 
ated,  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  God  made  the 
earth  and  the  heavens."  Here  it  seems  to  be 
announced  that  the  work  was  finished  in  one 
day,  as  the  same  word  is  used  in  the  singular. 
We  are  compelled,  then,  to  believe  that  the 
word  translated  day,  is  a  mere  expression  of  a 
period  of  time  of  indefinite  duration,  and  may 
extend  to  millions  of  years.  This  usage  accords 
well  with  the  customs  of  all  ancient  nations  in 
the  varied  application  of  terms  designating  peri- 
ods of  time.  We  find  a  like  latitude  among  the 
Hindoos,  the  Babylonians,  the  Egyptians,  adopt- 
ed by  the  Greeks,  and  copied  by  the  Romans. 
The  Egyptian  Zaros  seems  to  have  had  several 
distinct  applications  to  periods  of  time,  of  differ- 
ent values.  So,  also,  the  use  of  the  word, 
"year,"  in  Latin  "annus,"  a  ring,  a  circle,  or 
revolution,  has  been  extended  among  the  ancient 
nations  to  all  possible  periods  of  time.  It  is  not 
then  at  all  surprising,  that  an  indefinite  period 
of  time  should  have  been  designated  by  Moses 
under  the  word  translated,  day.  There  is  an 
objection  urged   against  this  interpretation  and 


OF     CREATION.  189 

use,  growing  out  of  the  enactment  of  the  Sab- 
bath, which  we  will  consider  more  at  length 
before  closing  this  examination.  We  now  pro- 
ceed to  consider  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  sec- 
ond grand  period  in  the  creation. 

"  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  a  firmament  in 
the  midst  of  the  waters,  and  let  it  divide  the 
waters  from  the  waters.  And  God  made  the 
firmament,  and  divided  the  waters  which  tvei^e 
under  the  firmament  from  the  waters  which 
were  above  the  firmament ;  and  it  was  so."  In 
this  passage  we  find  the  effect  of  imperfect 
knowledge  of  nature  upon  the  minds  of  the  truly 
great  and  learned  men  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  our  received  translation.  The  old  idea  of  a 
firmamentum,  a  something  solid,  like  the  crystal, 
transparent  spheres  of  the  ancients,  clung  to  the 
human  mind  long  after  the  absurdity  was  ex- 
ploded in  the  minds  of  a  few  philosophers.  The 
word  translated  "  firmament,"  means,  as  is  well 
known,  an  extension,  an  expanse,  a  sort  of  sev- 
erance or  vacuity,  rather  than  any  thing  solid 
or  firm;  and  in  this  sense,  of  course,  we  must 
consider  it.    Again,  the  word  translated  '^  waters" 


190  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

can  not  in  any  way  refer  to  seas,  oceans,  and 
rivers  on  the  earth,  and  to  clouds  and  mist  which 
float  in  the  atmosphere  above  the  earth.  There 
were  no  waters  such  as  now  exist,  and  no  earth 
such  as  we  now  inhabit.  How,  then,  are  we  to 
understand  this  announcement  of  the  work 
accomplished  by  the  Almighty  Architect  during 
this  second  period  of  creation  ?  Suppose  it  had 
been  written,  "  And  God  said.  Let  concentration 
of  matter  now  proceed, — let  the  boundless  ocean 
of  material  vapor  divide  and  separate, — let  vacu- 
ity intervene  between  the  mighty  masses  which 
shall  aggregate  and  segregate  about  their  ap- 
pointed centers, — and  let  this  expanse  be  divided 
between  the  masses  which  shall  lie  above  the 
expanse  and  those  which  lie  beneath  it," — this 
would  have  been  in  so  many  words  a  description 
of  the  mighty  processes  which  must  have  distin- 
guished the  period  which  immediately  followed 
that  one  during  which  matter  was  created  and 
the  laws  of  matter  established.  At  the  bidding 
of  God,  under  the  controlling  power  of  those 
laws  by  v/hich  He  is  pleased  to  manifest  His 
divine  will,  and  around  centers  of  His  own  seiec- 


OF    CREATION.  191 

tion,  the  germs  of  future  worlds  were  now  begin- 
ning to  form.  Previously  matter  had  been  dif- 
fused like  a  boundless  atmosphere,  a  material 
mist  filling  all  space.  Now  aggregation  begins 
and  proceeds,  severing  this  infinite  nebulous 
mass  into  definite  portions,  an  expanse  divides 
these  aggregations,  concentration  proceeds,  and 
we  perceive  that  an  entire  day,  a  vast  period 
comparable  with  that  which  elapsed  during  the 
enactment  of  the  first  great  act,  rolls  away 
while  the  work  of  separation  and  segregation 
proceeds. 

Here  was  truly  a  grand  and  magnificent  work. 
The  selection  of  the  great  centers  of  aggregation 
was  the  work  of  Omniscience.  These  must  be 
so  located  that  the  forming  worlds  shall  in  no 
degree  interfere  with  each  other.  They  must 
be  so  selected  that  in  the  development  of  the 
mighty  systems  to  be  brought  into  being,  there 
should  be  space  commensurate  with  the  grand 
movements  which  were  to  be  evolved.  Matter 
was  not  left  to  itself  God  was  in  all  and  over 
all;  His  wisdom  sketched  the  mighty  plan  of 
creation  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the  glory 


192  THE     MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

and  majesty  and  grandeur  of  His  divine  perfec- 
tions. 

Let  us  now  examine  tiie  condition  of  the  uni- 
verse at  the  close  of  the  second  great  epoch.  If 
the  division  was  perfected,  in  multitudes  of 
instances  at  least  we  may  conceive  that  the  con- 
densation liad  proceeded  not  only  sufficiently  far 
to  produce  vast  globular  bodies,  but  that  these 
globes  had  condensed,  and  in  the  act  of  contrac- 
tion and  condensation,  the  planetary  bodies  may 
have  been  disengaged  from  their  equatorial 
regions.  There  were  then  huge  central  masses 
of  nebulous  matter,  slowly  rotating  on  their 
axes,  about  these  revolved  hazy  rings  of  matter, 
or  possibly  the  crude  forms  of  imperfectly  con- 
densed planets.  Light  was  more  condensed, 
and  the  grand  centers  of  illumination  Avere  grad- 
ually increasing  in  power. 

We  are  thus  prepared,  by  the  now  nearly 
perfected  operations,  having  this  division  and 
concentration  of  matter  for  their  object,  for  the 
ushering  in  of  a  new  and  wonderful  era  in  crea- 
tion. The  evening  and  the  morning  closed  the 
second  day. 


OF     CREATION. 


193 


With  the  opening  of  the  third  epoch  we  are 
introduced  to  the  definite  organization  of  the 
planetary  worlds,  and  especially  of  our  own 
earth.  Its  glohular  form  had  already  been 
moulded.  "  And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  under 
the  heaven  be  gathered  together  into  one  place, 
and  let  the  dry  land  appear;  and  it  was  so." 
The  boundless  ocean,  without  limit  and  without 
shore,  which  had  hitherto  enveloped  the  earth, 
and  the  dense  and  misty  vaporous  atmosphere, 
retreated  within  narrower  bounds;  upheavals 
reared  the  mighty  continent ;  and  the  chains  of 
lofty  mountains  and  the  ocean's  bed  were  formed; 
and  the  decree  w^ent  forth,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou 
come,  but  no  farther ;  and  here  shall  thy  proud 
waves  be  stayed." 

How  far  like  processes  may  have  advanced 
in  other  planets  of  our  own  or  other  systems, 
it  is  useless  to  conjecture.  Doubtless  infinite 
variety  marks  the  universe  of  God ;  and  the 
phenomena  with  which  we  are  famiUar  may  or 
may  not  characterize  the  numberless  worlds 
which  people  space.  The  great  work  was 
advancing ;  each  step  in  this  advance  distinctly 


194  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

leading  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  final  grand 
object, — the  preparation  of  a  fit  abode  for  sen- 
tient beings.  Thus  far  God  had  exerted  His 
power  in  the  operation  of  mighty  laws  over 
insensate  matter.  All  was  completed,  and  "God 
said,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth ;"  and,  lo  !  life, 
mysterious,  incomprehensible  principle,  in  its 
earliest,  primitive  manifestation,  burst  upon  the 
universe.  Earth's  teeming  womb  heaved,  and 
up  sprang  the  waving  grass,  the  tender  flower, 
the  shoot,  the  shrub,  the  tree.  Earth,  enrobed 
in  her  glorious  livery,  shook  her  ten  thousand 
leaves,  flashed  back  the  golden  hue  of  fruit  and 
flower,  breathed  the  incense  of  her  spicy  groves, 
in  grateful  ofl'erings  to  the  living  God. 

Such  is  the  record.  So  Moses  hath  written, 
that  on  the  third  day,  before  the  sun  was,  God 
commanded  the  earth  to  bring  forth,  and  grass, 
and  herb,  and  tree,  each  yielding  seed  in  its 
kind,  covered  the  earth's  surface.  Here  three 
inquiries  present  themselves.  First,  does  the 
order  of  geological  strata  concur  with  the  nebu- 
lar theory  ?  Do  the  fossil  remains  of  vegetables 
occupy    a    location    consistent   w^ith    their    an- 


OF     CKEATION.  195 

nounced  primitive  creation?  and,  finally,  how 
are  we  to  account  for  the  existence  of  vegetable 
life  while  there  is  no  sun. 

It  is  not  my  intention,  as  it  is  not  my  pro- 
vince, to  enter  into  a  detailed  discussion  of  each 
of  these  questions.  If  we  assign  to  our  globe 
a  nebulous  origin,  its  solidification  would  be  the 
consequence  of  radiation  of  heat.  A  cooling 
down  of  the  exterior  would  allow  the  gradual 
approach  of  the  particles,  until,  finally,  chemical 
laws  begin  their  action,  crystallization  follows, 
and  certain  forms  of  the  granitic  rocks  are  pro- 
duced. It  is  enough  that  eminent  geologists 
have  advocated  that  the  great  phenomena  of 
the  primitive  formations  not  only  possibly,  but 
\)robably,  agree  with  the  hypothesis  of  igneous 
origin. 

What,  then,  is  the  testimony  with  regard  to 
the  first  forms  of  organic  life  on  earth?  The 
most  that  can  be  derived  from  the  explorations 
of  geology,  is  the  conclusion  that  the  introduction 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life  was  contempora- 
neous. This  is  but  negative  testimony,  and  only 
demonstrates  the  fact,  that  no  vegetable  remains 


196  THE     MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

have  been  preserved  which  grew  prior  to  the 
introduction  of  animal  life  on  earth.  The  record, 
then,  is  left  unbroken,  and  it  yet  remains  to  be 
seen  whether  the  more  profound  researches  in 
progress  may  not,  at  some  future  period,  upturn 
the  rocky  remains  of  the  primeval  vegetation, 
revealed  in  the  Mosaic  record. 

The  third  inquiry  is  kindred  to  some  already 
entertained.  How  could  vegetable  life  exist 
upon  the  earth,  when  as  yet  there  was  no  sun  to 
fructify  and  animate  the  world  ?  I  again  urge 
that  the  objection  against  the  truth  of  this 
record,  grounded  on  these  facts,  proves  too  much. 
It  was  quite  as  w^ell  known  to  Moses  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  years  ago,  as  to  ourselves,  that 
without  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun  no  vegeta- 
tion can  exist,  and  in  case  the  writer  had  been 
composing  a  theory  of  creation,  merely  from  his 
own  human  investigation  and  research,  he  never 
would  have  committed  so  gross  a  blunder  as  to 
people  earth  w^ith  fruit  and  flower,  before  he  had 
first  formed  and  fashioned  the  great  central 
source  of  all  life,  and  light,  and  heat. 

There  is  a  deeper  meaning  in  this  narrative, 


OF    CREATION.  197 

and  in  case  we  admit  the  nebulous  origin  of  our 
planet,  and  the  order  of  development  incident  to 
this  hypothesis,  we  perceive  at  once  that  all 
difficulty  vanishes  with  reference  to  the  susten- 
tation  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  previous  to 
the  fourth  grand  era,  when  the  sun,  and  moon, 
and  stars,  were  to  burst  forth  in  all  their  magnifi- 
cence and  beauty. 

There  was  light  in  abundance  though  the 
great  source  of  light  was  as  yet  vailed  in  a 
misty  shroud  which  no  eye  could  have  pierced 
had  eye  then  existed. 

The  uncondensed  and  unlimited  atmospheric 
envelope,  which  in  the  third  grand  epoch, 
enshrouded  sun  and  moon,  and  hid  the  forming 
stars,  did  not  forbid  the  penetration  of  light  and 
heat.  Besides,  the  central  heat  of  our  globe  in 
itself,  formed  in  the  primitive  ages  a  source  of 
vegetable  activity  when  God  had  once  called 
vegetation  into  existence,  which  must  have 
stimulated  the  primeval  forests  to  the  most 
vigorous  and  luxurious  development.  Such, 
indeed,  is  the  fact,  and  hence  we  find  species  of 
gigantic   dimensions   among  the  ruins  of  those 


198  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

early  ages,  whose  existing  types  are  so  diminu- 
tive as  scarcely  to  be  recognized  of  the  same 
family. 

Thus  it  would  seem  that  in  this  third  grand 
era,  the  order  of  creation  is  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  the  determinate  truths  of  science,  and 
are  only  to  be  explained  and  rendered  intel- 
ligible, by  resort  to  the  theory  of  the  nebulous 
origin  of  our  planet. 

It  should  ever  be  borne  carefully  in  mind,  tha^ 
all  we  have  said  is  but  an  attempted  interpreta- 
tion. This  may  be  entirely  wrong  and  utterly 
false,  while  the  Mosaic  record  shall  remain  eter- 
nal as  truth  itself.  We  interpret  by  the  light 
of  existent  science.  What  new  beams  may  be 
hereafter  kindled  no  one  will  venture  to  predict, 
and  what  wonderful  modifications  of  interpreta- 
tion may  be  presented  in  the  light  of  these  new 
fires,  it  is  equally  impossible  to  divine. 

We  have  now  reached  the  fourth  grand  epoch 
in  the  formation  of  the  universe.  "And  God 
said,.  Let  there  be  lights  in  the  firmament  of  the 
heavens  to  divide  the  day  from  the  night,  and  let 
them  be  for  signs  and  for  seasons,  and  for  days 


OF    CREATION.  199 

and  for  years  ;  and  let  them  be  for  lights  in  the 
firmament  of  the  heaven,  to  give  light  upon  the 
earth,  and  it  was  so.  And  God  made  two  great 
lights  ;  the  greater  light  to  rule  the  day,  and  the 
lesser  light  to  rule  the  night;  He  made  the  stars 
also ;  and  God  set  them  in  the  firmament  of  the 
heaven  to  give  light  upon  the  earth,  and  to  rule 
over  the  day  and  over  the  night,  and  to  divide 
the  light  from  the  darkness,  and  God  saw  that  it 
was  good." 

We  have  already  adverted  to  our  explanation 
of  the  prominent  fact  proclaimed  in  this  passage. 
The  formation  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  planets, 
on  the  fourth  day  of  creation.  In  case  we 
admit  the  origin  proposed  in  our  foregoing 
examinations,  we  will  readily  understand  that 
many  ages  would  roll  away,  even  after  the  com- 
menced formation  of  the  solar  system,  before  the 
sun,  or  moon,  or  stars,  would  either  hold  their 
present  form  or  exhibit  their  present  appearance. 
Moses  was  not  commissioned  to  reveal  the  details 
of  scientific  truth,  but  simply  to  present  the 
grand  outlines  and  order  of  progressive  creation 
or  development.     He  declares  then  simply  that 


200  THE    MOSAIC    ACCOUNT 

before  the  sun,  and  moon,  and  stars,  as  they  now 
exist  were  formed,  certain  antecedent  events 
had  occurred.  These  were  the  creation  of 
matter  ;  the  enactment  of  physical  laws  ;  the 
generation  of  light ;  the  formation  of  an  expanse, 
by  the  aggregation  of  matter,  around  appointed 
centers ;  the  final  consolidation  of  our  earth ; 
the  emergence  of  its  lands  and  continents  from 
the  primeval  seas ;  the  clothing  of  earth  with 
vesfetable  life.  Such  are  the  facts  announced  as 
existent  prior  to  the  formation  of  the  sun,  moon, 
and  stars,  as  we  now  see  them.  We  interpret, 
moreover,  Moses  to  say,  that  three  vast  periods 
of  time,  denominated  "  days,"  had  already  passed 
away,  and  now  the  question  arises,  may  all  these 
events  have  preceded  the  present  physical  con- 
stitution.of  sun,  moon,  and  stars.  We  are  dis- 
posed to  answer  this  question  in  the  affirmative 
and  without  hesitation,  and  even  to  assert  that 
this  is  the  precise  order  of  nature,  in  case  the 
nebular  theory  be  the  true  cosmogony  of  the 
universe. 

It  is  useless  to  go  into  extensive  details  after 
what  wc  have  already  said ;  I  will  remark,  how- 


OF    CREATION.  20] 

ever,  that  our  earth  is  one  of  the  smallest  of  all 
the  planets.  It  was  thrown  from  the  sun's 
equator  a  long  time  after  the  outer  planets,  and 
at  a  time  when  a  comparative  condensation  of 
the  sun's  matter  had  been  reached.  Being 
small,  it  would  lose  its  caloric  with  great  rapidity, 
and  would  cool  down  far  more  rapidly  than  the 
larger  planets,  and  almost  infinitely  faster  than 
the  sun.  It  would,  therefore,  become  a  fit 
theater  for  vegetable  existence,  long  before  the 
sun  would  lose  its  nebulosity,  a  part  of  which 
even  yet  remains,  and  long  before  its  own  atmos- 
phere had  become  sufficiently  translucent  to 
permit  the  sun,  or  moon,  or  stars,  to  be  seen, 
even  had  they  existed  in  their  present  well- 
defined  and  brilliant  forms. 

We  perceive,  therefore,  that  it  was  not  until 
all  the  events  above  narrated  had  occurred, 
that  it  could  be  said  that  God  placed  two  great 
lights  in  the  firmament  to  rule  the  day,  and  to 
divide  between  the  day  and  the  night,  and  to  bo 
for  signs  and  for  seasons  and  for  days  and  for 
years.     Previous  to  this  period,  they  could  have 

served  none  of  these  ends ;  they  were  not  great 

9* 


202  THE    MOSAIC    ACCOUNT 

lights  any  more  than  they  now  are  when  our 
atmosphere,  dense  with  vapor,  renders  them 
invisible  ;  they  did  not  divide  distinctly  between 
the  day  and  the  night ;  no  one  could  have  dis- 
tinguished, at  the  first  opening  of  human  eye  on 
tlie  then  existent  world,  whether  it  was  day  or 
night;  a  dim,  nebulous  haze  pervaded  the  earth, 
— a  sort  of  luminous  fog,  such  as  now  visits  us, 
and  renders  it  impossible  to  distinguish  the 
light  of  a  concealed  moon  from  the  coming  of 
day.  There  was  no  sunrise  visibly  distinct,  even 
if  mortal  eye  had  existed  to  see  it.  There  was, 
in  like  manner,  no  sunset.  Day  and  night, 
though  severed,  were  not  separable.  They 
were  intermingled ;  it  was,  or  would  have  been, 
impossible  for  us  to  have  pronounced  where  the 
one  ended  and  the  other  commenced.  But  this 
condition  of  things  had  now  reached  its  termina- 
tion. The  atmosphere  had  been  gradually  be- 
coming transparent ;  the  sun  had  been  condens- 
ing; the  moon  had,  in  like  manner,  gradually 
assumed  her  definite  outlines  ;  and,  finally,  a 
purity  of  the  ethereal  regions  and  of  the  earth's 
atmosphere  was   gained, — such   that  two   great 


OF    CREATION.  203 

lights  shone  forth  in  the  heavens,  to  divide  the 
day  from  the  night,  and  the  stars  also  glittered 
in  the  blue  vault. 

Previous  to  this  condition  of  nature,  neither 
the  sun,  moon,  nor  stars  could  be  said  to  give 
their  light  upon  the  earth  as  they  now  give  it. 
More  especially  was  it  impossible  for  these 
celestial  orbs  to  fill  for  man  one  great  end  of 
their  being  and  organization.  Mark  well  the 
language : — They  were  given  for  signs  and  for 
seasons,  and  for  days  and  for  years.  They  were 
to  give  their  light  upon  the  earth.  Previous  to 
this  epoch  they  could  neither  be  for  signs  nor 
seasons,  nor  for  days,  nor  months,  nor  years; 
they  could  not  give  their  light  on  the  earth  in 
the  individual,  specific  sense  in  which  it  is  now 
given. 

There  are  those  who  find  in  this  narrative  of 
the  formation  of  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  and  the 
appointment  of  their  functions  with  reference  to 
our  earth,  an  extravagant  prominence  of  so 
small  a  planet  as  our  earth,  and  a  sort  of  degra- 
dation of  these  great  celestial  orbs,  in  making 
them  in  any  sense  tributary  to  the  earth.     But 


204  THE    MOSAIC    ACCOUNT 

if  any  one  will  attempt  to  modify  the  record  of 
Moses,  so  as  to  avoid  any  appearance  of  subordi- 
nation of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  to  the  earth, 
and  yet  to  retain  a  distinct  statement  of  the 
uses  of  these  celestial  orbs,  the  task  will  be 
found  flir  more  difficult  than  it  appears  at  first 
view^  Let  it  be  remembered  that  no  distinct 
revelation  of  astronomical  facts  was  intended. 
Moses  was  not  to  declare  the  relative  magnitude 
of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  earth  and  stars  ;  he 
was  not  to  reveal  the  functions  of  these  bodies 
with  reference  to  other  planets  ;  it  was  only  in 
relation  to  the  earth  that  their  characteristics 
were  to  be  presented.  These  bodies  do  sustain 
the  very  relations  to  the  earth  announced  by 
Moses.  The  sun  and  moon  are  two  great  lights, 
which  rule  over  the  day  and  the  night,  and  the 
stars  shed  their  liglit  upon  the  earth.  Let  us 
go  back  in  imagination  to  the  condition  of  things 
during  the  preceding  eras  in  the  earth's  history. 
Let  us  people  the  earth  with  intelligent  beings, 
organized  lil^  ourselves,  at  the  time  w^hen 
neither  sun,  nor  moon,  nor  stars  were  visible, — ' 
when  there  was  no  distinct  separation  between 


OF     CREATION.  205 

day  and  niglit, — when  the  impenetrable  atmos- 
pheric veil,  like  the  present  clouds  of  earth,  shut 
out  forever  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars.  What 
would  have  been  man's  condition  on  sucli  an 
earth  ?  The  climate  might  have  been  never  so 
pure  and  genial;  perpetual  spring  might  have 
spread  its  beauties  over  the  virgin  earth ;  fruit, 
and  floAver,  and  the  ripened  corn  and  the  clus- 
tering grape  might  have  wooed  the  hand  of  man; 
the  earth  might  have  spread  upon  her  surJGice 
every  thing  to  enchant  the  eye,  or  gratify  the 
taste,  or  satiate  the  appetite,  and  yet  man  w^ould 
have  lived  in  a  dimly-illumined  prison.  The 
earth  alone  would  have  been  his  universe.  Hov/ 
could  he  have  risen  to  any  knowledge  of  the 
glories  of  God  ?  Could  he  ever  have  surmised 
even  the  actual  condition  of  the  planet  he  inhab- 
ited ?  All  w^ould  have  been  a  twilight  far  more 
deep  and  sombre  to  his  intellect  than  that  natu- 
ral gloom  which  surrounded  his  physical  frame. 
How  wonderful  v/ouid  have  been  the  change  to 
such  inhabitants  of  earth,  when  the  sun  burst 
forth  for  the  first  time  and  flooded  the  earth 
with  light !  when  the  moon,  throned  among  liev 


206  THE    MOSAIC    ACCOUNT 

shining  stars,  assumed  her  reign  over  the  dewy 
night !  when  days  and  months,  and  seasons  and 
years  began  to  marlc  the  on-going  of  time  ! 
How  wonderful  a  change  would  this  have  been, 
and  yet  God  appointed  these  specific  functions 
to  these  mighty  orbs,  and  neither  more  nor  less 
is  asserted  by  Moses. 

It  is  not  asserted  that  the  sun  and  moon  and 
stars  were  formed  for  no  other  purpose  than  to 
give  light  to  the  earth.  God  set  them  in  the 
firmament,  in  the  expanse,  in  space,  in  such 
positions  as  to  yield  their  light  in  quantities 
adapted  to  the  w^ants  of  earth.  Their  distances 
were  accurately  adjusted,  they  were  firmly  set 
in  the  heavens,  so  that  no  derangement  could 
ever  occur  to  deprive  the  earth  of  its  supply  of 
light,  or  to  flood  it  with  an  insufferable  blaze. 

It  is  not  my  province  to  follow  further  in 
detail  the  order  of  creation.  I  have  now  closed 
an  examination  of  so  much  of  the  Mosaic  account 
as  belongs  specifically  to  the  science  of  Astron- 
omy. On  the  fifth  day  we  are  informed  that 
the  waters  were  commanded  "  to  bring  forth 
abundantly  every  moving  creature  that  hath  life, 


OF    CREATION.  207 

and  the  fowl  that  may  fly  above  the  earth.'^ 
On  the  sixth  day  the  earth  was  commanded  to 
bring  forth  "  the  living  creature  after  his  kind, 
cattle  and  creeping  thing,  and  every  beast  of  the 
earth  after  his  kind,  and  it  was  so  f  and,  finally, 
after  the  earth  had  been  clothed  with  vegetation, 
after  the  ocean  teemed  with  its  inhabitants,  after 
bird  and  beast  peopled  the  earth,  ''  Crod  said, 
Let  us  make  man  in  our  ow^n  image,  after  our 
own  likeness." 

Man,  then,  according  to  the  account  of  Moses, 
was  only  j^laced  upon  the  earth  after  all  inferior 
races  had  been  formed.  On  the  third  day,  or 
during  the  third  great  period,  vegetation  was 
brought  into  being;  on  the  fourth,  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  broke  through  the  misty  shroud 
that  had  previously  enveloped  them ;  on  the 
fifth  day  the  ocean  and  air  were  peopled  with 
their  tribes ;  on  the  sixth,  earth  teemed  with 
its  flocks  and  herds ;  and,  finally,  man  was 
formed,  and  God  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life,  and  he  became  a  living  soul. 

Such  is  the  order  of  creation  in  the  heavens 
and  on  the  earth,  announced  by  Moses, — such 


208  THE    MOSAIC     ACCOUNT 

the  multitude  of  facts  asserted  in  this  primitive 
record, — such  the  extended  outline,  vulnerable 
by  scien(3e  at  every  point,  but  as  yet  entirely 
unbroken  in  its  whole  extent.  '•  Thus  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  were  finished,  and  all  the 
host  of  them."  Earth  was  peopled  with  its  mul- 
titudinous tribes,  and  space  floated  with  the 
millions  of  shining  orbs  which  w^ere  henceforth 
to  declare  the  glory  of  God.  The  miglity  work 
was  ended,  and  Jehovah  rested  from  His  work 
on  the  seventh  day.  As  in  the  work  of  creation 
six  epochs  had  been  employed,  and  as  God  had 
rested  from  His  work  on  the  commencement  of 
the  seventh,  so  time  was  now  divided,  by  divine 
appointment,  into  weeks  of  seven  days,  six  of 
wdiich  man  should  devote  to  labor  and  industry, 
and  the  seventh  to  rest  and  the  worship  of  the 
one  only  God. 

That  the  period  of  time  denominated  a  week 
is  of  exceedingly  antique  origin,  is  manifest  from 
the  fact  that  its  use  is  found  among  all  the  primi- 
tive nations  of  the  earth.  The  Egyptians,  Baby- 
lonians, Persians,  Hindoos,  Chinese,  Arabians, 
all   employed    this    arbitrary    division    of  time. 


OF    CREATION.  209 

Nations  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
widely  separated  and  without  intercourse,  have 
adopted  the  same,  conventionally  demonstrating 
that  it  must  have  descended  to  each  from  some 
common  origin. 

I  do  not  perceive,  then,  that  a  valid  objection 
can  he  urged  against  the  long  periods  by  which 
the  word  "  day"  is  interpreted,  in  consequence 
of  the  institution  of  the  sabbath. 

I  place  myself  in  the  attitude  of  one  disposed 
to  cavil  at  the  claims  of  the  Bible,  and  when  I 
see  so  curious,  so  unexpected,  so  astonishing  a 
parallelism  between  the  facts  of  the  Mosaic 
record  and  those  which  are  evolved  on  the 
present  most  probable  scientific  hypotheses; 
when  I  reflect  that  the  division  of  time  now  in 
use  is  to  be  traced  back  to  a  period  far  beyond 
the  reach  of  history,  I  do  not  feel  that  an  inter- 
pretation, which  has  about  it  so  much  the  air  of 
truth  and  probability,  can  be  shaken  by  an 
objection  based  upon  the  institution  of  the  sab- 
bath of  rest. 

Let  us  look  for  some  higher,  some  more  posi- 
tive proof  of  the  human  origin  of  this  strange 


210  THE    MOSAIC    ACCOUNT 

book.  Surely,  if  it  be  the  composition  of  mere 
man,  and  of  many  men,  we  shall  find  it  deficient 
in  some  department  of  science.  For  the  pres- 
ent, then,  let  us  abandon  this  objection,  in  case 
more  powerful  ones  can  be  urged,  and  should  we 
find  this  to  be  the  only  one,  we  may  abandon  it 
with  the  greater  safety. 

Such  is  the  exposition  and  interpretation 
which  we  are  disposed  to  put  upon  this  Scrip- 
tural account,  of  the  great  operation  of  creation. 
It  may  be  defective,  it  may  be  even  radically 
wrong.  The  nebular  hypothesis  itself  may  be 
superseded  by  some  other  theory  entirely  dif- 
ferent, when  more  light  shall  be  shed  upon  this 
account,  and  its  truth  or  falsehood  may  be  for- 
ever irrevocably  fixed.  What  may  come  we 
know  not,  until  science  shall  reveal  a  truo  cos- 
mogony ;  until  science  shall  have  fixed  on  a  basis 
of  truth  strong  and  immovable  her  assertions 
with  reference  to  this  great  event,  a  final  posi- 
tive investigation  will  be  impossible.  This 
entire  account  must  be  viewed  in  the  light  of  a 
prophetic  declaration,  which,  unfulfilled,  no  one 
can  with  certainty  interpret,  but  the  moment  fchvO 


OF    CREATION.  211 

accomplishment  has  taken  place,  then  a  blaze  of 
light  is  thrown  upon  every  line  of  the  prophetic 
announcement,  and  it  is  all  instinct  with  light 
and  truth.  Such,  doubtless,  will  be  the  case 
with  reference  to  the  Mosaic  account  of  creation. 
If  it  be  the  dictation  of  the  ever-living  God,  then 
in  His  own  time  He  will  permit  the  human  mind 
to  rise  higher  and  still  higher  in  its  researches 
in  the  universe,  until,  God  aiding,  it  shall  reach, 
by  its  own  struggles,  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
plan  by  which  this  world  we  inhabit,  these 
planets  that  roll  and  shine,  and  yonder  sun, 
luminiferous  and  resplendent  with  all  the  host 
of  Heaven,  w^ere  brought  to  people  the  unlimited 
regions  of  vacuity. 

In  the  mean  time,  let  us  bring  to  the  test  of 
exact  scientific  examination  those  passages 
which  may  be  scattered  through  this  volume, 
and  learn  the  result  of  this  critical  scrutiny. 


LECTUKE     V. 

AN  EXMIMTIOX  OF  THE   ASTRONOMICAL  ALLUSMS 
m  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB 


LECTURE    V. 

AK  bxaminatio:n"  of  the  astronomical  allusions  in 

THE   BOOK    OF   JOB. 

The  authorship  of  this  remarkable  book  seems 
not  to  be  clearly  settled.  All  are,  however, 
agreed  in  assigning  to  it  the  highest  antiquity. 
Although  the  incidents  recorded  are  of  the  most 
astonishing  character,  its  claims  to  its  place  in 
the  sacred  canon  remains  undisputed.  With  a 
short  introduction  in  prose,  and  a  still  shorter 
close,  this  book  is  a  poem  of  the  highest  order. 
We  are  not,  however,  concerned  with  its  poetry, 
or  with  the  style  or  nature  of  the  composition ; 
we  are  not  called  upon  to  discuss  its  beautiful 
imagery  or  its  exquisite  language ; — it  is  only  in 
its  incidental  and  wonderful  use  of  certain  grand 
phenomena  of  nature  that  we  claim  a  special 
interest.  A  controversy  between  Job  and  his 
three  friends  occupies  a  large  proportion  of  the 
poem ;  the  arguments  are  finally  summed  up  by 


216  ASTRONOMICAL    ALLUSIONS 

a  fifth  individual,  Elihu,  when  Jehovah's  voice 
is  heard  out  of  the  whirlwind  pronouncing  judg- 
iP-f^nts 

It  is  within  the  limits  of  this  part  of  the  poem 
that  we  find  a  series  of  questions  propounded, 
having  for  their  specific  object  the  utter  over-* 
throw  and  humiliation  of  the  feeble  judgment  of 
man.  When  we  consider  the  age  in  which  this 
book  must  have  been  composed,  and  the  utter 
impossibility  that  any  knowledge  of  the  true 
system  of  the  universe  then  obtained,  we  shall 
be  compelled  to  acknowledge  the  exceeding  dif- 
ficulty of  propounding,  at  that  early  day,  any 
series  of  astronomical  inquiries  which  could  be 
put,  at  the  present  day,  with  equal  certainty  of 
accomplishing  the  object  designed  by  these  inter- 
rogatories. 

This  may  not  be  so  readily  granted  by  some : 
first,  because  they  may  contend  for  a  very  high 
state  of  intelligence  among  the  primitive  nations 
in  astronomical  science ;  and,  second,  because  it 
may  be  by  some  asserted  that  it  is  by  no 
means  difiicult  for  the  ignorant  to  propound 
queries  which  the  wise  can  not  answer. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  217 

I  have  examined  with  some  care  the  attain- 
ments of  the  early  nations  in  astronomy.  Al- 
most nothing  has  come  down  to  us  directly  from 
the  primitive  nations  ;  but  as  the  Greek  philos- 
ophers traveled  extensively  among  the  Egyp- 
tians, the  Babylonians,  and  Hindoos,  we  may 
confidently  assert  that  little  important  knowl- 
edge could  have  been  concealed  from  these 
earnest  and  devoted  seekers  after  knowledge. 

Should  we  even  admit  the  claims  to  authen- 
ticity of  the  most  remote  observations  even  upon 
the  heliacal  rising  of  the  stars  upon  eclipses,  and 
upon  the  conjunctions  which  are  contended  for 
by  the  most  ardent  devotees  to  the  antique  in 
science,  we  shall  scarcely  go  back,  in  any  one 
of  these  simple  astronomical  observations,  to  the 
age  in  which  this  poem  was  composed.  It  bears 
within  it  evidence  (as  we  shall  presently  see) 
of  high  antiquity.  If,  then,  the  Greek  philos- 
ophers couM  draw  almost  nothing  from  these 
imagined  treasures  of  early  knowledge, — if  the 
crude  notions  and  reasonings  of  Pythagoras  are 
fair  specimens  of  the  ideas  entertained  by  the 

primitive  nations  among  whom  he  studied,  we 

10    • 


218  ASTKONOMICAL     ALLUSIONS 

certainly  can  not  claim  any  real  knowledge  of 
the  true  system  of  the  universe  for  so  high  an 
antiquity.  We  do  not  think  it  possible  that  any 
such  knowledge  could  have  been  lost,  if  ever 
reached  by  any  of  the  ancient  nations.  The 
Hindoos  claim,  in  common  with  the  Egyptians 
and  Babylonians,  a  very  high  antiquity.  These 
claims  we  propose  to  consider  hereafter.  While 
they  urge  these  claims  to  be  of  high  antiquity,  one 
thing  is  certain,  they  urge  no  claims  to  superior 
knowledge  of  the  system  of  nature.  The  very 
crudest  notions  w^ere  entertained  with  reference 
to  the  most  striking  phenomena,  and  a  manifest 
ignorance  prevailed  with  reference  to  their  true 
cause  and  interpretation. 

It  is,  I  think,  impossible,  then,  to  affirm  that, 
in  the  age  to  which  w^e  must  assign  the  composi- 
tion of  this  poem,  any  such  knowledge  of  the 
order,  and  laws,  and  phenomena  of  nature,  and 
of  our  system,  prevailed  as  would  have  served 
to  guide  him  w^ho  attempte-d  to  propound  a  series 
of  deep  and  difficult  questions.  With  regard  to 
the  second  objection,  that  an  ignorant  person 
may  ask  questions  which  great  wisdom  can  not 


IN    THE     BOOK    OF    JOB.  219 

answer, — while  we  admit  the  force  of  tho»  truism^ 
we  do  not  think  it  applicable  to  the  present  case. 
We  affirm  that  a  positive  evidence  of  the  amount 
of  knowledge  which  any  one  possesses  of  any 
subject,  will  be  perfectly  evinced  by  the  follovv- 
ing  test :  give  to  the  person  under  examination 
an  extended  series  of  questions  relating  to  the 
science  j^rofessed,  and  bid  him  select  the  most 
difficult  from  the  printed  catalogue ;  accident 
may  aid  him  for  one  or  two  questions,  but 
admitting  him  to  be  ignorant  of  the  answers 
to  all  the  questions,  they  are  all  equally  difficult 
to  him,  and,  of  course,  on  this  hypothesis  any 
selection  would  inevitably  betray  his  ignorance, 
and  should  he  succeed  in  making  a  selection 
truly  involving  the  most  difficult  inquiries  (he 
being  ignorant),  it  could  only  be  accounted  for 
by  the  intervention  of  divine  aid. 

If  we  admit,  then,  that  the  Book  of  Job  was 
composed  in  an  age  of  the  world  when  all  were 
ignorant  of  the  true  system  of  the  universe,  and 
if  within  its  compass  we  should  find  a  series  of 
astronomical  inquiries,  professedly  selected  and 
put  to  overwhelm  the  human- mind,  in  case  these 


220  ASTRONOMICAL    ALLUSIONS 

same  inquiries,  at  this  day  and  in  the  full  blaze 
of  science,  and  Avith  all  our  knowledge  of  the 
system  of  nature,  should  be  equally  overwhelm- 
ing, we  should  in  reason  acknowledge  that  they 
could  not  have  been  propounded  by  human 
ignorance,  and  must  have  proceeded,  as  is  pro- 
fessed, from  the  mouth  of  Him  who  built  the 
universe,  and  to  whom  all  secrets  were  open  as 
the  face  of  day. 

With  these  preliminary  remarks,  we  proceed 
to  examine  the  subject  with  all  humility  and 
candor.  "  Then  the  Lord  answered  Job  out 
of  the  whirlwind,  and  said.  Who  is  this  that 
darkeneth  counsel  hy  ivords  tvithout  Jcnoivledge  ^ 
One  of  the  most  sublime  sentences  that  ever 
was  penned  1  Who  is  this  that  darkeneth  conn- 
sel  by  words  without  Jcnoivledge?  Who  is  this 
who  pretends  to  call  in  question  the  justice  of 
the  government  of  Jehovah  ?  Is  God  to  be 
arraigned  by  worms  of  the  dust  ?  by  beings 
whose  profoundest  wisdom  is  but  darkness, whose 
efforts  to  elucidate  but  spread  a  deeper  darkness? 
"  Gird  up  now  thy  loins  like  a  man ;  for  I  will 
demand  of  thee,  and  answer  thou  me."     If,  in- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  221 

deed,  ye  are  competent  to  sit  in  judgment  on 
the  acts  of  God,  then  surely  your  wisdom  must 
have  taught  you  the  grand  secrets  of  nature. 
"  Where  wast  thou  when  I  laid  the  foundations 
of  the  earth  ?  declare,  if  thou  hast  understand- 
ing. Who  hath  laid  the  measures  thereof,  if 
thou  knowest ;  or  who  hath  stretched  the  line 
upon  it  ?  Whereupon  are  the  foundations 
thereof  fastened ;  or  who  hath  laid  the  corner- 
stone thereof?  When  the  mornina;  stars  sansr 
together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for 

joy  ?" 

Could  the  astonished  Joh,  or  his  still  more 
astonished  opponents,  make  any  response  to 
these  humiliating  questions  ?  Has  there  ever 
been  a  time,  following  down  the  thousands  of 
years  which  have  elapsed  even  to  the  present 
moment,  when  all  the  accumulated  wisdom  of 
man  could  make  any  reply  ? 

Some  may  object  to  this  passage,  and  urge 
that  it  actually  intimates  an  ignorance  of  the 
true  condition  of  the  earth  by  the  interrogation, 
otherwise  the  word  "  foundations"  would  not 
have  been  used.     To  this   objection  let  me  an- 


222  ASTEONOMICAL    ALLUSIONS 

swer  that  the  Hebrew  word  translated  "  founda- 
tions" means  really  sockets,  something  whereon 
a  pivot  turns ;  and  the  word  translated  "  fast- 
ened" is  better  rendered,  "made  to  sink,"  as 
though  the  question  had  been  put,  in  case  this 
earth  is  fixed,  and  the  heavens  revolve  about  it 
whereon  are  the  sockets  made  to  sink,  of  the 
axis  of  this  revolution  ?  or  if  the  earth  itself 
rotates,  tell  me  how  are  the  sockets  fastened  by 
which  it  is  sustained  ? 

If  this  should  appear  to  any  one  an  over- 
strained paraphrase  or  translation, — if  it  still 
be  asserted  that  there  is  not  in  the  passage  suf- 
ficient ground  for  such  an  interpretation,  I  must 
beg  the  common  privilege  of  all  interpreters  to 
explain  the  difficult  and  doubtful  passages  of  this 
book  by  others  from  the  same  book  throwing 
light  upon  the  same  subject.  If  it  still  be 
asserted  that  the  word  "  foundations"  is  to  be 
considered  as  referring  to  the  vulgar  notion  that 
the  earth  was  fixed  on  some  unknown  support, 
by  which  it  was  buoyed  up,  I  must  quote  a 
single  sentence,  as  beautiful  as  it  is  wonderful, 
which  will  place  forever  this  matter  at  rest.     In 


IN    THE    BOOK      OF    JOB.  223 

another  part  of  this  poem,  when  acknowledging 
the  majesty  and  power  of  God,  Job  declares  that 
'■  He"  (God)  "  stretcheth  out  the  north  over  the 
empty  place,  and  hangeth  the  earth  upon  noth- 
ing." How  astonishing  is  this  declaration !  God 
stretcheth  out  the  north  over  vacuity,  over 
immensity.  Deep  sunk  in  space,  away  in  the 
remote  north,  in  the  region  of  vacuity,  was  seen 
that  point  about  which  either  the  heavens  or  the 
earth  revolved.  But  the  earth  itself  hangeth  on 
nothing.  It  is  suspended  in  space  ;  there  are  no 
foundations  ;  and  who  can  tell  whereon  are  fast- 
ened the  sockets  of  its  rotation? 

Let  us  come,  then,  to  the  answer  to  this 
question.  Propound  it  to  the  modern  astron- 
omer, to  the  geometer  of  the  present  age. 
Whereupon  is  the  earth  hung  in  empty  space, 
and  where  is  fastened  the  socket  on  which  its 
firm  axle  is  fixed  ?  Shall  it  be  answered  that 
the  earth  is  linked  to  the  great  center  by  the 
power  of  universal  gravitation  ?  What,  I  demand, 
is  this  potent  energy  which  has  been  named 
gravitation.  Wherein  is  this  power  lodged  ? 
Who  hath  ever  grasped  it  in  his  hand,  or  seen, 


224  ASTRONOMICAL    ALLUSIONS 

or  heard,  or  felt  it  ?  Not  one.  Let  u&  not  mis- 
take— gravitation  is  but  a  name ;  it  is  (lie  repre- 
sentation of  a  vast  multitude  of  phenomena,  wit- 
nessed in  the  heavens  and  upon  the  earth, 
attributable  to  a  cause  always  acting  according 
to  an  invariable  law, — and  we  call  this  grav- 
itation. No  one  has  ever  conceived  what  it  is, 
— no  one,  probably,  ever  will  conceive  what  it 
may  be ;  and  all  we  can  say  is  this,  that  the 
great  First  Cause  is  pleased  to  manifest  His 
power  in  the  guidance  of  the  orbs  of  heaven 
according  to  one  uniform  law  established  by  Him- 
self, and  to  a  knowledge  of  that  law  of  operation 
man  has  been  permitted  to  reach  ; — and  here  he 
stops.  Not  an  inch  beyond  can  he  advance; 
and  with  all  his  present  knovvdedge,  —  and  I 
admit  it  to  be  great, — he  can  not  answer  the 
question,  Whereon  are  the  sockets  of  the  earth 
fastened,  and  by  whom  were  they  fixed,  when 
God  stretched  out  the  north  over  the  empty 
space,  and  hung  the  solid  globe,  with  all  its 
millions,  its  forests,  and  oceans,  and  mountains, 
upon  nothing?  When  the  morning  stars  sang 
together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy  ? 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  225 

It  may  still  be  urged  that  no  inquiiy,  with 
reference  to  the  earth,  could  be  made  which 
could  be  answered ;  that  they  are  all  equally 
difficult  and  equally  unanswerable,  if  taken  in 
the  broad  sense  we  have  claimed  for  the  fore- 
going inquiry.  I  answer  that  this  is  not  the 
case.  Suppose  it  had  been  asked, — Knowest 
thou  the  form  of  the  earth  on  which  thou  dwell- 
est?  Canst  thou  comprehend  its  mighty  out- 
lines by  thy  tiny  measures  ?  Hast  thou  weighed 
it  in  a  balance  and  computed  its  dimensions  ? 
Each  of  these  questions,  in  my  opinion,  would 
have  been  just  as  unanswerable  by  Job  or  his 
friends  as  those  actually  put  ;  while  to  the 
modern  astronomer  their  approximate  answer  at 
least  would  present  no  difficulty,  and  we  should 
at  tliis  day  have  regarded  such  questions  as 
proof  positive  that  the  interrogator  was  only 
proposing  questions  which  he  could  not  himself 
answer. 

This  first  question  Avhich  we  have  considered 

regarded  the  solid  earth.     We  now  come  to  the 

examination  of  the  second   interrogation  :  "Or 

who  shut  up  the  sea  with  doors  when  it  broke 
10* 


226  ASTRONOMICAL     ALLUSIONS 

forth,  as  if  it  had  issued  out  of  the  womb  ?  when 
I  made  the  cloud  the  garment  thereof,  and  thick 
darkness  a  swaddhng-band  for  it,  and  broke  up 
for  it  my  decreed  place,  and  set  bars  and  doors, 
and  said.  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  far- 
ther; and  here  shall  thy  proud  weaves  be  stayed  ?" 
I  must  be  permitted  here  to  remark,  once  for 
all,  that  it  is  in  these  and  kindred  passages  that 
the  greatest  difficulty  has  been  found  by  trans- 
lators. This  will  be  readily  appreciated  when 
we  reflect  how  difficult  it  is  for  us  to  compre- 
hend a  work  written  even  in  our  own  language 
that  refers  to  matters  of  science  of  which  w^e  are 
ignorant.  The  difficulty  is  increased,  in  an 
enormous  ratio,  if  we  be  attempting  to  translate 
a  foreign  tongue,  and  the  matters  treated  of  are 
such  as  we  could  not  comprehend,  even  if  writ- 
ten in  our  own  language.  Such  was  the  diffi- 
culty encountered  by  the  translators  of  the  Bible 
in  all  those  cases  involving  a  reference  to  scien- 
tific matters,  of  which  not  only  themselves  but 
the  age  in  which  they  lived  w^ere  ignorant.  It 
was  even  worse  than  this.  False  notions  were 
entertained,    to    accord    with    which,    in    many 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  227 

instances,  there  was  a  disposition  to  bend  the 
sense  of  the  original,  to  make  it,  as  was  sup- 
posed, the  more  intelligible.  ^ 

In  this  interrogation  the  passage  translated, 
"  and  brake  up  for  it  my  decreed  place,"  is  prop- 
erly rendered,  "  established  my  decree  upon  it ;" 
that  is,  upon  the  ocean ;  a  decree  by  which  it 
should  be  forever  governed.  No  one,  who  has 
considered  the  problem  of  the  stabiHty  of  the 
ocean,  can  fail  to  recognize  the  depth  and  diffi- 
culty of  the  inquiry  here  propounded.  Look 
at  this  mighty  mass  of  waters,  covering  more 
than  two  thirds  of  the  entire  surface  of  the 
globe,  subject  to  the  influence  of  the  fierce  and 
resistless  tornado,  wrought  up  into  tumultuous 
confusion,  its  waves  rolling  and  dashing  against 
the  clouds,  and  lashing  with  fury  the  resounding 
shore.  Where,  I  ask,  is  the  guarantee  that  whole 
continents  shall  not  be  submerged,  and  every 
vestige  of  life  swept  from  the  surface  of  the 
earth  ? 

How  wonderful  are  the  adjustments  by  which 
the  ocean  is  fixed  within  the  limits  assigned  by 
the  decree  of  Omnipotence !     Let  us   point  out 


228  ASTRONOMICAL    ALLUSIONS 

some  of  those  conditions  without  which  no 
stability  could  exist.  If  it  were  possible  to 
empty  the  waters  of  earth's  oceans  into  the  cav- 
ities which  probably  diversify  the  surface  of  the 
planet  Saturn,  and  thus  spread  over  its  surfoce 
the  heavy  ocean  of  earth,  so  long  as  all  was 
tranquil  the  waves  would  sleep,  and  a  placid 
ocean  would  spread  its  unbroken  sheet  from 
shore  to  shore.  But  now  let  loose  upon  its 
surface  the  mighty  force  of  those  winds  which 
stir  its  profoundest  depths  on  earth,  and  no 
precipitous  shore,  no  mountain  barrier,  could 
restrain  the  swelling  billow ;  it  would  heave,  and 
dash,  and  rise,  till,  finally,  breaking  every  bar- 
rier, it  would  engulf  island  and  continent,  and 
chaos  would  assert  its  ancient  empire. 

How  is  it,  then,  that  the  ocean  on  earth  is 
shut  up  with  bars  and  doors,  while,  if  removed 
to  Saturn,  no  decree  of  earth  can  bind  it  ?  It 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  there  exists  a  nice 
adjustment  of  the  relative  specific  gravity  of  the 
solid  earth  and  the  fluid  wave,  and  of  the  gas- 
eous atmosphere.  The  earth  greatly  preponder- 
ates over  the  gravity  of  the  ocean,  and  iho  ocean 


IK    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  229 

vastly  preponderates  over  the  gravity  of  the 
air.  If  our  ocean  were  removed  to  Saturn,  this 
fluid,  unstable  covering  would  possess  a  greater 
spocific  gravity  than  the  solid  body  of  the 
planet,  and  it  v;ould  be  like  a  globe  of  cork 
swimming  in  an  envelop  of  water.  The  least 
cause  of  derangement  would  cause  the  waters 
to  rush  to  one  side  of  the  planet,  and  the  globe 
would,  in  some  sense,  float  on  this  concen- 
trated abyss  of  waters,  to  be  tossed  and  rolled 
over  and  over,  and  every  portion  submerged 
at  any  and  every  moment.  Such  would  be 
the  condition  of  the  earth  v\^ere  the  relative 
specific  gravities  of  the  earth,  air,  and  water 
changed. 

But  the  power  of  the  atmosphere  is  not  the 
only  force  which  disturbs  the  tranquillity  of  the 
ocean  wave.  All  are  familiar  with  the  phenom- 
enon of  the  tides ;  those  wonderful  heavings  of 
the  mass  of  waters  wdiich  are  periodical,  and  are 
due  to  the  powerful  influence  of  the  moon  and 
sun.  We  know  that  astonishing  variations  in 
the  heights  of  the  tidal  waves  occur  at  different 
epochs,  and  why  may  it  not  happen  that  by  some 


230  ASTEOlsOMICAL     ALLUSIONS 

dire  conjunction  of  conspiring  influences,  this 
mighty  wave  shall  not  overleap  the  appointed 
barriers,  and  submerge  the  earth  ?  Here,  again, 
the  conditions  of  equilibrium  are  as  wonderful 
as  they  are  complicated.  What  will  be  thought 
when  I  tell  you  that  this  stability  of  the  ocean 
involves  nothing  less  than  the  organization  of 
the  entire  solar  system !  Each  one  of  the 
worlds  constituting  this  stupendous  system  has 
its  part  to  play  in  maintaining  the  decree  which 
God  has  established  upon  the  ocean.  At  one 
period  in  the  history  of  astronomy  it  seemed 
that  the  decree  of  God  must  one  day  be  violated. 
The  moon  has  been  slowly  approaching  the  earth 
from  the  earliest  ages  of  the  world.  From  this 
approach  the  tides  due  to  her  influence  are  now 
heaved  up  to  a  greater  height  than  they  were 
four  thousand  years  ago.  Should  this  decrease 
in  the  moon's  distance  continue,  the  time  must 
come  when  the  tide,  rising  superior  to  every 
barrier,  would  whelm  the  earth,  and  God's 
decree,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  far- 
ther; and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed," 
become   null,   and    the    declaration    of  this    so- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  231 

called  sacred  volume  would  be  falsified.  But 
science,  after  a  long  and  arduous  struggle,  at 
length  discovered  the  fact  that  this  decrease  of 
the  moon's  distance,  due  to  the  planetary  dis- 
turbance of  the  figure  of  the  earth's  orbit,  had 
its  limits  fixed  quite  as  positively  as  those  by 
which  God  has  declared  He  would  restrain  the 
ocean.  The  time  will  come  when  the  decrease 
of  distance  is  changed  into  an  increase,  and  the 
moon  slowly  leaves  the  earth  by  the  same 
degrees  by  which  it  had,  for  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  years,  made  its  aj)proach,  and  with  it 
sinks  the  crest  of  the  heaving  tide ;  and  thus  do 
ocean  wave  and  rolling  moon  rise  and  roll,  and 
heave  and  shine  in  precise  accordance,  each 
subject  to  the  will  of  God,  who  hath  in  wisdom 
fixed  the  boundary  of  their  movements. 

It  is  certainly  sufficiently  wonderful  that  the 
height  of  the  ocean  wave  should  be  dependent 
on  the  relative  magnitudes,  distances,  and  spe- 
cific gravities  of  the  sun,  earth,  moon,  and  planets. 
No  one  of  these  could  bo  altered  or  interchanged 
and  yet  leave  the  ocean's  stability  unaffected. 
But  there  is   a  still  more  astonishing  condition 


232  ASTRONOMICAL    ALLUSIONS 

of  stability  dependent  on  the  figure  of  the  earth 
and  its  velocity  of  rotation  on  its  axis.  As  this 
is  referred  to  in  the  next  interrogatory,  we  will 
discuss  it  in  that  connection. 

God  further  demands  of  Job :  "  Ilast  thou 
commanded  the  morning  since  thy  days,  and 
caused  the  day-spring  from  on  high  to  know  his 
place?  *  *  *  That  it  might  take  hold  of 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  '^  ^  ''''  It  is  turned 
as  clay  to  the  seal,  and  they  stand  as  a  gar- 
ment." Portions  of  this  passage  are  exceed- 
ingly obscure,  as  now  translated.  It  seems 
manifest  that  reference  is  made  to  the  admirable 
order  of  recurrence  of  day  and  night,  and  the 
beautiful  adjustments  by  which  the  dawn  breaks 
quietly  upon  a  slumbering  world.  Hast  thou 
commanded  the  coming  of  morning  since  thy 
days,  or  hast  thou  taught  the  day-spring  from 
on  high  to  know  his  place  ?  Is  it  at  thy  bid- 
ding, or  in  accordance  with  thy  will,  that  the 
solid  earth  spins  swiftly  on  its  axle,  and  Vvdth 
such  an  unclianains:  motion  that  the  niorninf)r 
never  fails,  that  the  sun  knoweth  Lis  going 
down,  and  the  day-spring  his  appointed  place  ? 


IN    THE     BOOK    OF     JOB.  233 

To  the  casual  reader  little  may  seem  to  be 
implied  in  these  profound  and  overwhelming 
interrogatories ;  but  to  him  who  reads  aright, 
and  in  the  full  meridian  light  of  modern  science, 
there  is  such  a  powder  and  dignity  and  majesty  in 
these  questions,  that  the  human  mind,  proud  as 
it  is  by  nature,  sinks  in  low  abasement,  and 
acknowledges  its  utter  weakness,  its  absolute 
littleness. 

God  demands  who  launched  this  globe  in 
space,  who  set  bars  and  doors  to  the  heaving 
deep,  and  w^ho  maintains  its  swift  rotation,  by 
which  all  nature  is  hastened,  and  without  which 
life  would  become  extinct  and  animation  die. 
Can  man  accomplish  these  grand  designs  by 
which  his  very  being  is  maintained  ?  God  can 
live  though  nature  die;  while  man  sinks  and 
perishes  with  any  and  every  change,  and  yet  he 
is  impotent  to  maintain  a  single  phenomenon  by 
which  he  lives. 

With  how  much  precision  has  the  day-spring 
from  on  high  been  taught  to  know  his  place  ! 
For  more  than  three  thousand  years  science  has 
gone   backw^ard,    and,    with    profound    research, 


€■34  ASTRONOMICAL     ALLUSIONS 

reveals  the  fact  that  in  that  vast  period  the 
length  of  the  day  has  not  changed  by  the  hun- 
dredth part  of  a  single  second  of  time.  No 
matter  how  numerous  the  causes  of  change,  how 
diversified  in  their  action,  how  multiplied  in 
their  effects,  out  of  them  comes  an  admirable 
equilibrium,  and  the  earth,  with  undying  ve- 
locity, spins  on  its  sleeping  axle. 

Go  to  him  who,  night  after  night,  watches  the 
revolving  heavens ;  mark  with  what  implicit 
confidence  he  relies  on  the  mighty  truth  that 
God  has  taught  the  day-spring  from  on  high  to 
know  his  place.  He  takes  his  position  to  sig- 
nalize the  meridian  passage  of  his  star, — on  the 
preceding  night  it  had  passed  at  such  a  moment 
of  time  marked  on  the  face  of  his  clock,  and 
again  to  night  at  the  same  hour,  minute,  and 
second,  and  even  to  the  very  thousandth  of  a 
second,  true  to  the  bidding  of  an  unchanging 
Will,  his  telescope,  borne  by  the  revolving  earth, 
glances  the  visual  ray  to  the  very  center  of  the 
same  identical  star  !  Nothing  can  exceed  the 
absolute  uniformity  of  the  earth's  rotation.  This 
is  not  the  attribute  of  celestial  motion  generally. 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  235 

The  earth,  in  its  annual  orbitual  motion,  is  per- 
petually changing  its  velocit3^  The  moon,  in 
like  manner,  moves  at  an  irregular  pace  ;  and 
every  planet — and  more  especially  the  comets — 
exhibit  e:^traordinary  changes  of  velocity.  Why 
is  it  that  the  rotation  of  the  earth  on  its  axis 
should  be  maintained  ?  Should  we  not  expect 
that,  in  the  lapse  of  thousands  of  years,  this  rota- 
tion would  slowly  die  away  and  disappear?  How 
can  it  be  maintained  with  such  absolute  perfec- 
tion ?  Again  we  are  lost ;  again  we  are  driven 
for  explanation  to  Divine  energy.  God  hath 
commanded  the  morning,  and  taught  the  day- 
spring  to  know  his  place.  But,  it  may  be 
demanded,  wherein  lies  the  necessity  of  this 
uniformity  of  motion  ?  Could  not  the  earth 
quite  as  well  have  fulfilled  its  functions  with- 
out this  nice  and  beautiful  adjustment?  The 
answer  is  in  the  nesiative.  From  the  rotation 
of  the  earth  we  derive  our  unit  of  time.  By 
means  of  its  uniformity  w^e  are  permitted  the 
more  conveniently  to  investigate  the  move- 
ments of  the  celestial  orbs,  and  to  reach  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  great  mysteries  of  creation. 


236  ASTRONOMICAL     ALLUSIONS 

Let  this  velocity  decay  by  never  so  small  an 
amount,  and  soon  the  tempemture  of  the  earth's 
various  regions  becomes  deranged,  disorder 
enters  every  kingdom  of  nature,  and,  finally, 
destruction  ensues.  Let  the  velocity  h§  increased 
by  never  so  small  a  constant  increment,  and  a  like 
result  necessarily  ensues.  But,  more  astonishing 
still,  any  change  of  the  velocity  of  rotation  would 
disturb  the  equilibrium  of  the  ocean,  and  cause 
it  to  pass  the  barriers  which  God  has  assigned 
to  limit  its  heaving  waves. 

This  fact  is  distinctly  alluded  to,  and  in  the 
most  emphatic  language,  in  this  same  most  re- 
markable poem. 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  what  has  the  rotation 
of  the  earth  on  its  axis  to  do  with  the  retention 
of  the  sea  within  its  bounds  ?  Let  me  briefly 
explain.  Were  the  earth  at  rest,  its  figure,  if 
even  globular,  might  have  maintained  its  exact 
spherical  form.  The  moment,  however,  that 
rotation  on  an  axis  commences,  the  equilibrium 
is  disturbed,  a  new  force  (the  centrifugal)  is 
introduced,  and  a  modification  of  the  earth's 
form  necessarily  follows.      Hence   we   find   the 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  237 

earth  protuberant  at  the  equator  and  flattened 
at  the  poles,  simply  because  at  the  equatorial 
regions  the  velocity  of  the  particles  being  a 
maximum,  the  resulting  centrifugal  force  is  the 
greatest,  and  the  earth  is  therefore  evolved  at 
its  equator  far  above  the  level  which  would  exist 
wei'e  it  at  rest.  There  is  an  immense  equatorial 
belt  surrounding  the  equator,  like  an  immense 
continuous  mountain,  upon  whose  sloping  sides 
the  equatorial  oceans  are  maintained,  not  by 
gravity  alone,  but  by  the  action  of  that  force 
which  is  dependent  on  the  velocity  of  the  earth's 
rotation  on  its  axis.  Could  w^e  grasp  the  solid 
earth,  and  even  by  slow  degrees  arrest  its  rota- 
tory motion,  a  universal  deluge  would  be  the 
consequence.  The  water  w^ould  overleap  all 
opposing  barriers  and  flow  with  rushing  speed 
to  the  poles,  while  an  enormous  continent  of  dry 
land  would  emerge  from  the  deep  and  surround 
the  equator  of  the  earth.  With  a  full  knowledge 
of  these  facts,  understanding  clearly  that  the 
day  and  the  night  result,  in  their  continuity  and 
perfection,  from  the  uniformity  of  the  earth's 
rotation,  and  that  from  the  same  cause  the  ocean 


238  ASTEONOMICAL     ALLUSIGrTS 

itself  is  restrained  within  the  limits  assigned 
by  God,  how  powerful  does  the  declaration 
sound,  powerful  only  because  of  its  exact  truth, 
"  He  hath  compassed  the  tuaters  tvith  hounds,  until 
the  day  and  the  night  shall  come  to  an  end''  How 
strange  it  is,  that  in  case  the  day  and  the  night 
should  come  to  an  end,  should  the  earth  cease  to 
roll  on  its  well-poised  axis,  then  God  hath  no 
longer  compassed  the  waters  with  bounds ;  the 
boundaries  are  overleaped  ;  and  old  ocean,  re- 
leased from  its  fetters,  invades  the  dry  land,  and 
desolation  follows  its  terrible  march  through  the 
earth. 

It  is  in  vain  to  urge  that  the  expression,  "  until 
the  day  and  the  night  shall  come  to  an  end," 
simply  means  that  God  has  compassed  the 
waters  with  bounds  until  the  end  of  time.  This 
double  sense  of  these  wonderful  expressions  is 
found  too  often  recurring  to  be  the  result  of  acci- 
dent. The  language  appears  to  be  selected  to 
be  at  all  times  appropriate,  and  to  grow  brighter 
and  more  luminous  as  science  shall  shed  upon 
it  a  brighter  glow. 

How    many  questions  might  have  been  pi'o- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  239 

pounded,  with  reference  to  the  earth  and  ocean, 
which  would  have  only  betrayed  the  ignorance 
of  the  interrogator?  Had  it  been  demanded 
whether  Job  had  ever  sounded  the  depths  of  the 
mighty  deep, — had  he  ever  traversed  its  bound- 
less extent?  Could  he  declare  the  secrets 
which  were  hidden  on  its  unknown  shores  ? 
These  queries  might  have  served  to  overwhelm 
the  mind  of  God's  ancient  patriarch,  but  at 
present  they  would  have  lost  their  forc^.  How 
absurd  does  the  following  declaration  of  He- 
siod^ ^descriptive  of  the  earth's  position  between 
heaven  and  Tartarus  : 

"  From  the  higli  heaven  a  brazen  anvil  cast, 
Nine  days  and  nights  in  rapid  whirls  would  last, 
And  reach  the  earth  the  tenth  ;  whence  strongly  hurled 
The  same  the  passage  to  th'  infernal  world." 

I  say  how  absurd  does  this  declaration  appear 
now,  w^hen  we  know  that  for  a  body  to  fall 
even  from  the  sun  (whose  distance  is  almost  an 
insensible  quantity  compared  with  that  of  the 
stars  of  heaven),  it  would  require  no  less  than 
sixty-four  days  and  a  half;  and  from  the  fixed 


240  ASTRONOMICAL     ALLTSIONS 

stars,  instead  of  nine  days,  as  asserted  by  the 
Greek  poet,  it  would  require  more  than  forty- 
two  millions  of  days  !  In  case  we  should  find 
such  crude  statements  within  the  limits  of  the 
sacred  volume  put  forth  as  substantial  truth, 
our  faith  in  its  origin  would  end,  and  its  sacred 
character  would  be  destroyed  forever. 

We  return  to  the  passage  under  consideration. 
We  have  seen  how  much  j)ower  and  meaning 
there  is  in  the  question,  ^*  Hast  thou  commanded 
the  morning  since  thy  days  ?"  But  how  are  we 
to  interpret  the  words  of  the  context :  "  And 
caused  the  day-spring  from  on  high  to  know 
his  place  ;  that  it  might  take  hold  of  the  ends  of 
the  earth.  It  is  turned  as  clay  to  the  seal,  and 
they  stand  as  a  garment."  This,  I  take  it,  refera 
to  the  beautiful  provision  for  lighting  up  the 
world  by  slow  and  progressive  degrees.  Why 
is  it  that  we  do  not  pass  instantly  from  the  deep 
gloom  of  midnight  darkness  to  the  full  blaze  of 
noonday?  Not  because  it  requires  the  earth 
twelve  hours  to  rotate  from  midnight  to  noon. 
There  is  a  far  different  reason.  Who  has  never 
watched  with  delight  the  first  faint  evidence  of 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  241 

the  coming  day  ?  A  feeble  uncertain  glow  lights 
up  the  eastern  heavens,  this  slowly  brightening, 
the  upper  air  flings  down  the  rays  of  the  coming 
sun.  The  ruddy  glow  deepens,  a  crimson  hue 
suffuses  the  east,  until  at  length  the  first  ray  of 
the  sun  darts  with  gentle  splendor  upon  the 
earth.  Slowly  this  orb  heaves  up  his  stupendous 
disc,  yet  shorn  of  half  his  beams  by  the  thirsty 
atmosphere  drenched  with  his  glorious  hues. 

Here,  again,  we  find  evidence  of  the  goodness 
and  wisdom  of  God.  Such  is  the  constitution 
of  hght,  and  such  the  property  of  the  atmos- 
phere, that  by  means  of  the  latter  the  direction 
of  the  former  is  bent  from  its  track,  curved  round 
the  earth  and  moulded  to  its  form  as  the  clay  to 
the  seal,  and  standing  about  the  earth  as  a 
resplendent  garment  of  light.  Such  at  least  is. 
the  interpretation  which  these  difficult  passages 
seem  to  admit.  It  may  be  proper  to  remark, 
that  the  word  translated  '^  ends"  of  the  earth  is 
more  literally  rendered  "  wings,"  as  though  allu- 
sion were  made  to  the  atmosphere  as  a  sort  of 
wings  outstretched  around  the  body  of  tha 
earth. 

n 


242  ASTRONOMICAL     ALLUSIONS 

God  yet  further  interrogates  Job :  '^  Hast  tliou 
perceived  the  breadth  of  the  earth  ;  declare  if 
thou  knowest  it  all  ?"  Here  it  Vvould  seem  we 
have  at  length  found  one  interrogatory  which, 
although  Job  could  not  answer  it,  is  now  readily 
answered.  Do  we  not  know  the  extent  of  the 
earth  ?  Has  not  man  circumnavigated  its  sur- 
face ?  Has  he  not  perceived  it  all  ?  It  is  true 
we  have  sailed  round  the  earth,  but  it  is  equally 
true,  that  in  its  breadth,  its  latitude  (for  this  is 
the  meaning,  as  would  appear  from  the  ancient 
usage,  of  length  and  breadth  as  applied  to  the 
earth),  no  one  has  yet  perceived  or  actually  sus- 
pected the  breadth  of  the  earth.  To  do  this  we 
must  go  from  pole  to  pole,  to  compass  the  earth's 
breadth  or  latitude.  We  must  penetrate  these 
hyperborean  regions,  the  empire  of  eternal  frost, 
in  which  the  secrets  of  the  north  as  well  as  of 
the  south  appears  to  be  forever  locked.  It  is 
then  equally  impossible  now  and  will  be  a  thou- 
sand years  hence,  im  it  was  three  thousand  years 
ago,  for  man  to  declare  that  he  has  actually  per- 
ceived with  his  own  eyes  the-cniiri.  breadth  or 
latitude  of  the  earth. 


IN     THE    BOOK    OF     JOB.  243 

Here,  again,  some  may  say  that  this  is  special 
interpretation.  The  only  reply  to  be  made  is, 
that  it  fairly  admits  this  explanation,  and  to  this 
advantage  the  advocate  of  the  inspired  volume  is 
justly  entitled. 

Again  the  Almighty  demands  of  Job,  "Where 
is  the  way  where  light  dwelleth,  and  as  for  dark- 
ness, where  is  the  place  thereof,  that  thou 
shouldst  take  it  to  the  bounds  thereof,  and  that 
thou  shouldst  know  the  paths  to  the  house 
thereof?  Knowest  thou  it  because  thou  werfc 
then  born,  or  because  the  number  of  thy  days  is 
great  ?"  Here  we  are  presented  Vv'ith  a  series  of 
inquiries  of  the  most  astonishing  character.  The 
dwelling-place  of  light  and  of  darkness.  The 
bounds  of  each.  The  paths  to  the  l-i#use  of  light. 
Did  Job  comprehend  these  mysteries,  and  if  so 
was  it  because  he  was  then  born  and  because  the 
number  of  his  days  was  great  ?  How  strange 
and  unintelligible  these  queries,  and  why  does 
the  knowledge  of  them  imply  an  age  the  num- 
ber of  whose  days  is  great  ? 

Y/ho  shall  ans^yer  these  profound  inquiries  ? 
Who  sliall  declare  to  us   the   character  of  light  ? 


244  ASTRONOMICAL    ALLUSIONS 

What  is  this  wondrous  phenomenon  known  to  us 
under  the  name  of  light  ?  Is  it  a  modification 
of  matter,  shot  forever  with  incredible  velocity 
from  heaven's  blazing  orbs  :  anon  pure  and  white, 
and  then  flashing  with  every  imaginable  color? 
If  it  be  particles  of  matter,  infinitesimal  globules, 
how  comes  it  that  the  most  delicate  organ  of  the 
human  frame,  the  eye,  is  not  torn,  and  wounded, 
and  lacerated,  by  the  millions  of  particles  which 
fall  upon  its  surface  ?  Is  light  the  effect  of 
vibrations  of  our  ethereal  medium,  pervading  all 
space,  almost  infinitely  elastic,  and  darting  its 
waves  from  the  center  to  the  circumference  like 
thought  ?  Then  how  wonderful  the  reflection 
that  only  certain  bodies  possess  the  property  of 
giving  to  this  medium  the  velocity  of  undulation 
demanded  for  the  propagation  and  production  of 
light.  Where  is  the  way  where  light  dwelleth  ? 
Is  its  home  in  the  sun  and  stars  ?  Does  it  inhabit 
the  ether  which  filleth  immensity,  or  is  it  by 
some  inscrutable  provision  of  nature  made  to 
dwell  in  that  wonderful  optical  instrument  the 
eye  ?  One  thing  we  know,  without  it  and  with- 
out the  eye  all  nature  were  a  blank ;  the  heav- 


IN    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB.  245 

ens  vanish ;  earth's  flowers  fade,  and  darkness 
wraps  the  globe. 

But  knowest  thou  the  paths  to  the  house 
thereof?  Hast  thou  traced  the  flashmg  fluid 
to  the  bounds  thereof?  Canst  thou  say  that 
here  is  the  hmit  beyond  which  light  has  never 
passed,  and,  gazing  into  the  dark  abyss  beyond, 
declare  there  darkness  reigns  ?  How  deep  and 
stupendous  these  questions  to  him  who  hath 
attempted,  with  "  optic  tube,"  to  fathom  the 
deep  profound  of  God's  glorious  universe. 

Go  with  me  to  yonder  "  light-house  of  the 
skies."  Poised  on  its  rocky  base,  behold  that 
w^ondrous  tube  which  lifts  the  broad  pupil  of  its 
eye  high  up  as  if  gazing  instinctively  into  the 
mighty  deep  of  space.  Look  out  upon  the 
heavens,  and  gather  into  your  eye  its  glittering 
constellations.  Pause  and  reflect  that  over  the 
narrow^  zone  of  the  retina  of  your  eye  a  universe 
is  pictured,  painted  by  light  in  all  its  exquisite 
and  beautiful  proportions.  Look  upon  that  lu- 
minous zone  which  girdles  the  sky, — observe  its 
faint  and  cloudy  light.  How  long,  think  you, 
that  light  has  been  streaming,  day  and  night, 


246  ASTKONOMICAL     ALLUSIONS 

with  a  swiftness  which  flashes  it  on  its  way 
twelve  millions  of  miles  in  each  and  every  min- 
ute ? — how  long  has  it  fled  and  flashed  through 
space  to  reach  your  eye  and  tell  its  wondrous 
tale  ?  Not  less  than  a  century  has  rolled  away 
since  it  left  its  home  !  Hast  thou  taken  it  at 
the  bound  thereof?  Is  this  the  bound, — here 
the  limit  from  beyond  which  light  can  never 
come  ?  Look  to  yonder  point  in  space,  and 
declare  that  thou  beholdest  nothing,  absolutely 
nothing  ]  all  is  blank  and  deep  and  dark.  You 
exclaim,  Surely  no  ray  illumines  tha^t  deep  pro- 
found. Place  your  eye  for  one  moment  to  the 
tube  that  nov/  pierces  that  seeming  domain  of 
night,  and,  lo  !  ten  thousand  orbs,  blazing  with 
light  unutterable,  burst  on  the  astonished  sight. 
Whence  start  these  hidden  suns  ?  Whence 
comes  this  light  from  out  deep  darkness  ? 
Knowest  thou,  0  man !  the  paths  to  the  house 
thereof?  Ten  thousand  years  have  rolled  away 
since  these  wondrous  beam.s  set  out  on  their 
mighty  journey  !  Then  you  exclaim.  We  have 
found  the  boundary  of  light;  surely  none  can 
lie  beyond    this    stupendous    limit :    far  in    the 


IN    THE     BOOK    OF    JOE.  247 

deep  beyond  darkness  unfathomable  reigns. 
Look  once  more.  The  vision  changes  ;  a  hazy 
cloud  of  light  now  fills  the  field  of  the  telescope. 
Whence  comes  the  light  of  this  mysterious 
object  ?  Its  home  is  in  the  mighty  deep,  as 
far  beyond  the  limit  you  had  vainly  fixed, — ten 
thousand  times  as  far, — as  that  limit  is  beyond 
the  reach  of  human  vision.  And  thus  we 
mount,  and  rise,  and  soar,  from  height  to  height, 
upward,  and  even  upward  still,  till  the  mighty 
series  ends,  because  idsion  fails,  and  sinks,  and 
dies. 

Hast  thou  then  pierced  the  boundary  of  light  ? 
Hast  thou  penetrated  the  domain  of  darkness  ? 
Hast  thou,  weak  mortal,  soared  to  the  fountain 
whence  come  these  wondrous  streams,  and  taken 
the  light  at  the  hand  thereof?  Knowest  thou 
the  paths  to  the  house  thereof?  Hast  thou  stood 
at  yonder  infinite  origin,  and  bid  that  flash 
depart  and  journey  onward,  days,  and  months, 
and  years ;  century  on  century,  through  count- 
less ages, — millions  of  years,  and  never  weary 
in  its  swift  career  ?  Knowest  thou  when  it 
started  ?     Knowest  thou  it  because  thou  wast 


248  ASTRONOMICAL     ALLUSIONS. 

then  born,  and  because  the  number  of  thy  days 
is  great  ?  Such,  then,  is  the  language  addressed 
by  Jehovah  to  weak,  erring,  mortal  man.  How 
has  the  light  of  science  flooded  with  meaning 
this  astonishing  passage  ?  Surely,  surely  we  do 
not  mis-read, — the  interpretation  is  just. 


LECTURE     YI. 

im  ASTRONOMICAL  MIRACLES  OF  THE  BIBLE 
MIRACLES  OF  POWER. 


LECTURE    YI. 

THE   ABTEONOMICAL   illSACLEtS    OF   THE    BIBLE    MIKACLEo 
OF   POWEE. 

The  topics  wliicli  we  are  about  to  treat  briefly 
do  not  fall  within  the  legitimate  scope  of  our 
investigation.  Astronomy  has  for  its  object  the 
study  and  exposition  of  the  phenomena  of  na- 
ture,— not  the  miracles  of  God ;  and  hence  the 
uses  of  astronomy,  in  illustration,  made  by  the 
writers  of  the  Hebrew  scriptures,  may  be  per- 
fectly in  accordance  with  the  exact  revelations 
of  modern  science,  and  yet  the  miraculous 
accounts  stand  precisely  as  we  now  find   them. 

It  would,  therefore,  be  entirely  proper  to 
omit  entirely,  in  our  examination  of  the  r.strcn- 
omy  of  the  Bible,  any  notice  of  tlio:-e  events 
which  are  expressly  announced  as  interpositions 
of  divine  power  to  check  and  suspend,  or  even 
turn  back  the  on-goings  of  the  celestial  orbs. 

The  events  to  which  I  allude  are  the  miracu> 


252  ASTKONOMICAL    MIRACLES 

lous  stopping  of  the  sun  and  moon  for  the  space 
of  a  whole  day,  at  the  command  of  Joshua,  and 
the  going  backward  of  the  shadow  ten  degrees 
on  the  sun-dial  of  Ahaz, 

I  will  not  undertake  to  discuss  what  we  are 
to  understand  by  a  miracle,  but  shall  admit,  in 
the  outset,  that  a  miraculous  event  is  positively 
at  variance  with  the  established  laws  of  nature, 
and  can  only  be  produced  by  a  power  equal 
to  that  which  enacts  and  enforces  these  laws. 
With  this  understanding,  the  first  question  which 
presents  itself  is  this  :— with  our  present  knowl^ 
edge  of  the  absolute  uniformity  of  the  operation 
of  the  laws  of  nature,— such  as  the  laws  of  motion 
and  of  gravitation, — is  it  possible  to  give  credence 
to  any  statement,  no  matter  how  well  sustained 
by  human  testimony,  that  in  one  or  more  instances 
these  laws  have  been  suspended,  and  phenomena 
have  occurred  directly  in  opposition  to  these 
laws  ? 

It  can  not  be  denied  that  a  Power  competent 
to  select,  enact,  and  enforce  a  system  of  laws, 
can  at  His  pleasure  suspend,  alter,  or  wholly 
abrogate  any  or  all  of  them,  subject  only  to  this 


MIRACLES     OF    POWER.  253 

restriction, — that  the  changes  and  modifications 
must  be  consistent  with  each  other  and  with 
what  remains.  There  is  no  power  can  accom- 
phsh  an  impossibiKty — no  power  can  make  two 
and  two  equal  to  five ;  and  thus  even  Omnipo- 
tence is  compelled  to  work  within  limits  of  def- 
inite comprehension. 

The  physical  universe,  so  far  as  we  under- 
stand, is  governed  by  invariable  laws.  These 
laws,  to  a  certain  extent,  have  been  discovered 
by  human  reason  and  research ;  and  among  them 
none  seems  to  be  better  established  than  the 
laws  of  motion  and  gravitation.  By  these  laws 
the  movements  of  the  celestial  orbs  are  con- 
trolled ;  and,  so  far  as  human  observation  ex- 
tends, there  never  has  been  any  deviation  from 
these  laws. 

Is  it,  then,  reasonable  or  philosophic  to  accept 
a  statement  made  in  a  volume  written  in  an  age 
of  the  world  when  these  laws  governing  the 
physical  universe  were  unknown,  which,  if  cred- 
ited, compels  us  to  beheve  that  the  Creator  and 
sovereign  Lawgiver,  on  two  special  occasions, 
suspended,  or  for  a  time  abrogated  these  laws  as 


254  ASTKONOMICAL     MIRACLES 

evidence  of  His  good-will  to  certain  of  His  crea- 
tures ? 

We  frankly  confess  that  this  subject  is  sur- 
rounded with  its  difficulties,  not  so  much  arising 
from  the  abstract  question  as  to  whether  God 
can  suspend  His  laws  of  action,  as  from  the  utter 
ignorance  of  causes  which  may  operate  on  the 
mind  of  the  Supreme  to  decide  that  such  a  sus- 
pension should  be  made.  To  arrest  the  sun  and 
moon  in  mid-heaven  to  enable  one  set  of  com- 
batants to  achieve  a  victory  over  another,  or  to 
turn  the  sun  backward  in  his  career  that  the 
shadow  on  the  dial  may  reverse  its  movement 
as  a  token  that  God  had  rebuked  the  disease 
under  which  a  Jewish  king  was  suffering,  and 
that  fifteen  vears  should  be  added  to  his  life, 
are  facts  which,  when  presented  in  their  sim- 
plest form,  are  sufficiently  incredible.  But, 
unfortunately,  human  judgment  can  not  by  any 
possibility  comprehend  the  problem.  How  can 
a  finite  being  penetrate  into  the  councils  of  the 
Infinite  ?  To  form  a  correct  judgment  in  the 
2:)remxises,  the  mind  of  man  must  stretch  away 
down  the  interminable  sweep  of  time,  and  trace 


MIKACLES     OF    TO  WEE.  255 

out  to  infinitude  all  the  resulting  effects  and 
influences  in  the  government  of  God.  In  case, 
then,  we  admit  that  circumstances  may  arise 
which  would  render  credible  a  statement  that 
God  had  interposed,  and  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
time  suspended  the  law^s  of  nature,  we  can  not 
fail  to  perceive  that  such  admission  renders  it 
possible  to  believe,  on  human  testimony,  that 
such  an  interposition  has  actually  taken  place. 
For  w^e  can  never  know  the  causes  and  conse- 
quences leading  to  and  resulting  from  such  a 
miraculous  interposition  of  divine  power. 

But  we  may  go  yet  farther  and  propound  the 
question,  Is  it  reasonable  or  philosophic,  to 
believe  that  the  Supreme  Creator,  endowed  with 
omniscience,  would  originate  a  scheme  of  crea- 
tion and  government,  wherein  invariable  laws 
linked  together  the  entire  universe  of  matter, 
and  then,  for  any  reason,  would  suspend  the 
operation  of  these  laws  for  a  special  purpose, 
and  only  with  reference  to  individual  objects  ? 

This  after  all  is  the  great  question.  It  is  not 
whether  we  are  disposed  to  give  credence  to 
one    particular   alleged    miraculous    event ;    but 


256  ASTRONOMICAL    MIRACLES 

whether  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  any  such 
event  ever  did,  or  ever  will  take  place.  I  know 
there  are  many  who  deny  that  a  philosopher  can 
believe  in  a  miracle,  and  yet  so  far  as  my  limited 
powers  of  reasoning  can  carry  me,  I  am  com- 
pelled to  express  the  opinion  that  it  is  unphilo- 
sophic  to  deny  the  possibility  of  miraculous  in- 
terposition of  Divine  power. 

What  are  these  so-called  laws  of  matter? 
What  are  these  laws  of  motion  and  of  gravita- 
tion ?  They  are  certainly  not  inherent  qualities 
and  properties  of  matter  :  if  so,  this  dead  insen- 
sate matter  rises  above  and  superior  to  the  power 
of  God  the  Creator,  and  so  far  as  any  change  in 
these  qualities  and  properties  are  concerned,  may 
defy  the  Omnipotent. 

Matter  can  have  no  properties,  or  qualities,  oi' 
power,  except  so  far  as  these  are  derived  from 
the  direct  and  ever-acting  wdll  of  the  Creator. 
To  say,  then,  that  the  sun  attracts  the  planets 
according  to  the  law  of  gravitation ;  to  say  that 
the  planets  revolve  around  the  sun  in  obedience 
to  the  laws  of  motion  and  gravitation,  is  nothing 
more  than  to  say  that  these  material  bodies  are 


MIKACLES    OF    POWER.  257 

impelled  by  the  Divine  power  exerting  itself  in 
strict  and  unalterable  harmony  with  laws  which 
God  has  chosen,  and  from  which  He  simply  does 
not  choose  to  deviate. 

It  may  be  difficult  to  conceive  and  acknowl- 
edge that  matter  possesses  of  itself  no  quality, 
that  iron  is  not  hard,  lead  heavy,  water  fluid,  air 
gaseous,  in  and  of  themselves,  and  quite  inde- 
pendent of  even  the  very  being  and  existence 
of  a  Supreme  Creator.  But  how  can  the  par- 
ticles of  iron,  or  of  lead,  or  of  water,  or  air, 
exert  any  force  upon  each  other,  which  forces, 
beyond  a  doubt,  operating  between  the  particles 
of  these  materials,  give  to  them  their  outward 
qualities  of  hardness,  or  heaviness,  or  fluidity. 
Eising  to  still  grander  organisms,  we  behold  the 
wonderful  and  overpowering  equilibrium  which 
distinguishes  the  allied  orbs  which  constitute  the 
cortege  of  the  sun.  Here,  again,  I  demand,  has 
the  sun,  in  and  of  itself,  independent  of  God  the 
Creator,  the  power  to  attract  his  dependent 
worlds  ?  Have  these  orbs,  as  they  roll  and  shine, 
the  power,  independent  of  God,  to  reciprocate 
this  attractive  power  ?     Can  the  earth  we  inhabit 


258  ASTEONONICAL     MIRACLES 

put  forth  an  energy  independent  of  God,  and  bid 
the  moon  sway  to  its  commanding  and  controlling 
power  ?  This  living  force,  this  potent  influence, 
is  even  denied  to  man,  v/ho  thinks,  and  reasons, 
who  lives,  and  hopes,  and  yet  shall  w^e  attribute 
it  to  inert  matter,  dead,  insensate,  without  one 
germ  of  living  force  ? 

True  philosophy,  I  think,  compels  us  to  ac- 
knowledge that  all  the  operations  of  nature, 
from  the  sw^eep  of  the  planet  down  to  the  gentle 
sway  of  the  bending  floweret,  are  of  and  from 
the  will  of  the  Supreme  momentarily  exerted 
and  put  forth  forever  according  to  invariable 
laws. 

We  m,ay  propound,  then,  with  propriety,  how 
it  comes  to  pass  that  the  will  of  God  momentarily 
exerted  to  sustain  and  carry  forward  the  infi- 
nitely diversified  and  multitudinous  operations  of 
nature,  should  be  exerted  according  to  invariable 
laws  ?  Here  we  stand  on  the  threshold  of  a 
mighty  inquiry,  one  that  I  can  not  here  attempt 
to  penetrate.  But  we  can  stand  on  the  very 
threshold  and  affirm,  that  in  case  God  did  not 
govern  himself  in  the  exertion  of  His  wdll  in  the 


MIRACLES     OF     POWER.  259 

physical  universe  by  invariable  laws,  man  could 
never  rise  to  any  correct  knowledge  of  any  thing 
external  to  himself.  All  human  incjuiry  into 
nature  is  based  on  the  grand  assumption  that 
nature's  laws  are  absolutely  invariable,  and  build- 
ing on  this  corner-stone  our  solid  substratum  of 
inquiry,  w^e  ascend  slowly  but  surely,  from  step 
to  step,  onward  and  upward,  until  the  grand 
mysteries  of  nature  stand  revealed,  and  the  glory 
and  wisdom  of  God  as  displayed  in  the  physical 
universe  stand  revealed. 

If,  then,  the  physical  heavens  and  earth, — ^if 
the  diverse  organisms  which  fill  the  universe, 
were  intended  to  educate  the  intellect,  the  soul, 
and  the  heart  of  man,  unalterable  laws,  fixed  as 
th©  being  of  God,  lie  at  the  foundation  of  the 
success  of  this  grand  design.  No  deviation  or 
deviations  from  these  laws  can  be  admitted, 
unless  in  our  weak  judgment  man's  education 
may  thereby  be  more  rapidly  and  successfully 
accomplished. 

The  revelation  of  the  Creator  to  the  creature? 
by  any  means  short  of  those  we  denominate 
miraculous,    except   in   so   far    as    God   declares 


260  ASTRONOMICAL    MIRACLES 

Himself  in  the  laws  of  nature,  is  a  matter  suffi- 
ciently difficult,  and  perhaps  even  incompre- 
hensible to  man. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  admit  that  God  has 
established  the  laws  of  nature,  and  that  it  is 
impossible  for  Him  to  suspend,  modify,  or  abro- 
gate any  one  of  these  laws,  in  what  way  can  He 
possibly  demonstrate  to  rational  creatures  the 
truth  of  any  message  He  may  desire  to  communi- 
cate ?  I  remember  once  to  have  received  a  visit 
from  a  person  of  grave  demeanor,  wearing  a 
long  beard,  long  hair,  a  leathern  girdle,  a  strange 
costume,  and  bearing  a  staff  which  he  called 
Beauty,  and  proclaiming  himself  the  prophet 
Elijah,  sent  direct  from  God  to  demand  posses- 
sion of  the  grounds  I  then  occupied,  to  build 
thereon  the  city  of  the  new  Jerusalem.  I  at 
once  demanded  the  credentials  of  this  strange 
being.  Let  us  admit  him  truly  to  have  been 
sent  from  God,  how  upon  the  instant  could  he 
have  demonstrated  the  truth  of  his  claim  in  case 
the  working  of  a  miracle  be  impossible  ?  If, 
however,  on  my  demand  he  had  lifted  his  hand 
to  the  sun,  and  at  his  command  this  mighty  orb 


MIRACLES     OF    POWEE.  261 

could  have  stood  still  in  midst  of  heaven,  or 
the  lengthening  shadow  on  the  dial  could  have 
been  turned  back  at  his  bidding,  then  I  would 
have  been  compelled  to  acknowledge  the  com- 
mand as  coming  from  the  Supreme,  as  the  evi- 
dence would  have  been  absolute  and  irresistible. 

I  contend,  therefore,  that  miracles  can  not  be 
excluded  from  the  government  of  the  Creator; 
that  they  form  a  medium  of  intercommunication 
with  His  creatures ;  that  they  must  be  employed 
whenever  the  education  and  moral  elevation  of 
humanity  can  be  more  perfectly  or  more  rapidly 
accomplished  by  their  use  than  by  the  uniform 
action  of  natural  laws;  and  that  it  would  be 
unphilosophical  to  reject  altogether  the  evidence 
offered  to  prove  the  occurrence  of  a  miraculous 
event. 

With  these  general  views  we  proceed  to  an 
examination  of  the  miracles  already  alluded  to 
as  supposed  to  have  been  wrought,  and  the 
record  of  which  is  thought  to  be  found  in  the 
Hebrew  scriptures. 

Let  us  admit  the  facts  as  generally  received, 
that  at  the   command  of  Joshua  the  sun  and 


262  ASTKONOMICAL     MI  EAGLES 

moon  did  stand  still,  and  hastened  not  to  go 
down  for  a  whole  day ;  and  that  there  was  no 
day  like  that  before  it  or  after  it  that  the  Lord 
hearkened  to  the  Yoicc  of  a  man. 

Yv^hat  special  interference  with  the  laws  of 
motion  and  gravitation  would  be  required  to' 
accomplish  the  results  here  demanded  ?  To 
arrest  the  apparent  motion  of  the  sun  and  moon, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  suspend  the  rotation  of 
the  earth  on  its  axis.  Its  revolution  in  its  orbit 
might  continue  uninterrupted ;  the  moon's  revo- 
lution around  the  earth,  in  like  manner,  might 
remain  unaffected  ;  and,  indeed,  the  whole  plan- 
etary system  could  not  in  the  smallest  degree  be 
affected  by  any  change  in  the  period  of  rotation 
of  the  earth  on  its  axis.  But  any  sudden  check 
in  the  velocity  of  rotation  of  the  earth  on  its 
axis,  would  have  a  tendency  to  throw  from  its 
surface,  especially  near  the  equator.  No  sud- 
den check,  however,  is  required  ;  and,  indeed, 
a  gradual  diminution  of  the  velocity  of  rotation 
might  be  made,  such  that  in  forty  seconds  the 
motion  might  cease  entirely,  and  the  change 
would  not  be  sensible  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 


MIEACLES     OF    POWEK.  263 

earth  except  from  the  appearance  of  the  heav- 
ens. It  may  then  be  asked,  Did  the  miracle 
only  require  the  gradual  destruction  of  the  rota- 
tion of  the  earth  on  its  axis,  and  the  restoration 
of  the  same  ?  I  answer  that  much  more  was 
demanded.  The  figure  of  the  earth  is  such  that 
the  ocean,  so  far  as  it  covers  the  equatorial 
regions,  is  sustained  to  a  much  higher  level  by 
the  centrifugal  force  due  to  the  velocity  of  rota- 
tion than  would  be  compatible  with  its  equili- 
brium in  case  this  element  of  stabihty  were 
destroyed.  So  that  the  direct  interposition  of 
the  power  of  God  would  be  required  to  not  only 
suspend  the  earth's  rotation,  but  also  to  prevent 
the  equatorial  oceans  from  rushing  to  the  poles, 
and  in  their  passage  submerging  the  whole 
earth. 

Such,  then,  arc  the  physical  demands  in  case 
the  phenomenon  of  the  standing  still  of  the  sun 
and  moon  w^ere  elFected  by  arresting  the  rotation 
of  the  earth  oil  its  axis.  While  it  does  not 
involve  a  general  suspension  of  the  laws  of  gravi- 
tation and  motion  in  the  planetary  system,  it 
does   demand    the    intervention    of    omnipotent 


264  ASTRONOMICAL     MIKACLES 

power  and  the  positive  suspension  of  the  laws 
of  motion  and  gravitation  in  respect  to  the  ocean 
Avhich  lies  upon  the  earth's  surf^ice. 

Is  it  then  credible  that  the  Supreme  would 
thus  interpose  and  exert  His  power  to  bring 
about  the  phenomenon  described  under  the  cir- 
cumstances recorded  ?  Here,  as  already  urged, 
we  can  not  reach  any  just  conclusion.  We  can 
not  know,  except  by  revelation,  why  God  may 
have  found  it  necessary  thus  to  interpose.  His 
eye  alone  can  pierce  the  dark  curtain  of  the 
future,  and  His  omniscience  is  alone  capable  of 
tracing  such  an  event  in  its  remote  conse- 
quences, through  the  endless  ages  which  are 
ever  rolling  on  in  the  development  of  the  great 
drama  of  creation. 

If,  then,  the  question  be  propounded.  Can 
you  credit  a  miracle  involving  the  cessation  of 
the  rotation  of  the  earth, — the  equilibrium  of 
the  ocean  during  this  cessation,  and  the  restora- 
tion of  the  velocity  of  rotation,  —  I  answer 
unequivocally  Yes.  If,  however,  the  question 
be  put,  Do  you  give  credence  to  evidence  pre- 
sented  in   the    tenth    chapter  of  the   Book  of 


MIKACLES     OF     POWEE.  265 

Joshua,  regarded  by  some  as  proof  of  the  mir- 
acle in  question,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  answer, 
No. 

To  explain  my  meaning  let  m.c  say  again  that 
He  who  built  the  heavens  and  established  the 
laws  of  universal  matter,  who  reveals  Himself 
to  His  intelligent,  moral,  responsible  creatures 
in  the  grandeur  of  the  physical  universe,  can 
undoubtedly  suspend,  modify,  or  abrogate  any 
one  or  all  of  His  established  laws ;  that  He 
would  never  cut  Himself  off  from  the  use  of 
miraculous  events  in  His  moral  government ;  and, 
lastly,  that  no  law  of  nature  would  ever  be  sus- 
pended while  the  same  result  could  be  reached 
by  the  miraculous  use  of  the  established  laws  of 
nature.  Admitting,  still,  that  at  Joshua's  bid- 
ding the  sun  and  moon  stayed  their  course,  and 
hastened  not  to  go  down  even  for  the  space  of  a 
whole  day,  there  is  another  way  in  which  this 
miraculous  event  could  have  been  produced 
without  in  any  degree  interrupting  the  earth's 
rotation  or  suspending  the  laws  of  equilibrium 
which  govern  the  heaving  waters  of  the  great 

deep. 

12 


266  AS  TK  GNOMICAL.    MI  EAGLES 

It  is  well  known  that  the  atmosphere,  in  com- 
mon with  many  transparent  substances,  possesses 
the  power  of  refracting  light  so  as  to  bend  the 
rays  from  their  rectilineal  path,  causing  them  to 
reach  the  eye  even  after  the  object  whence  they 
are  emitted  or  reflected  is  already  below  the 
horizon.  Thus  we  know  that  the  sun,  moon, 
and  stars  from  this  cause  always  remain  visible 
for  a  short  time  after  their  setting  below  the 
horizon ;  and  in  fixing  the  place  of  a  celestial 
body,  astronomers  are  compelled  to  determine 
the  laws  of  atmospheric  refraction,  and  to  apply 
to  the  apparent  place  a  correction  due  to  refrac- 
tion to  obtain  the  true  place. 

Here,  then,  we  find  among  the  laws  of  nature 
tlio  means  whereby  the  sun  and  moon,  by  mi- 
raculous power,  might  be  made  to  remain  per- 
manently for  hours  in  the  same  apparent  place. 
By  interposing  a  refracting  medium  of  such 
variable  density  that  the  refractive  power  would 
precisely  counteract  the  effect  of  the  earth's 
rotation,  the  sun  and  moon  might  be  made  to 
stand  still  even  for  the  space  of  a  whole  day. 
This  would,  indeed,  be  quite  sus  miraculous  as  to 


MIRACLES    OF    POWER.  267 

arrest  the  earth's  rotation,  and  would  demand 
nothing  less  than  the  interposition  of  the  divine 
omnipotence.  No  natural  laws,  operating  within 
their  usual  limits,  could  produce  any  such  effect ; 
and  while  in  this  case  we  would  be  compelled  to 
admit  the  miraculous  character  of  the  phenom- 
enon, it  is  wrought  by  the  aid  of  na.tural  laws, 
and  not  in  opposition  to  them. 

Indeed,  the  miraculous  retroversion  of  the 
shadow  on  the  sun-dial  of  Ahaz,  may  readily  be 
accounted  for  by  supposing  a  miraculous  inter- 
position of  a  refracting  medium  sufficient  to  turn 
the  sun  apparently  backward  ten  degrees  in  his 
diurnal  circuit.  Still  the  event  is  miraculous, 
and  not  according  to  the  order  of  nature,  but 
wrought  out,  as  has  been  said,  by  the  aid  of 
natural  laws. 

While,  then,  we  are  willing  to  admit  on 
credible  testimony,  even  the  suspension  of  the 
laws  of  motion  and  gravitation,  that  God  may 
thereby  the  better  administer  the  affairs  of  His 
moral  government ;  and  while  we  more  readily 
admit  the  miraculous  use  of  natural  laws,  we 
now  come  to  consider  whether  it  is  unequivocally 


268  ASTRONOMICAL    MIRACLES 

recorded  in  the  Hebrew  scriptures  that  the  sun 
and  moon  stayed  in  their  course  at  the  command 
of  Joshua^  and  ''  hasted  not  to  go  down  for  about 
the  space  of  a  whole  day."  And  if  such  record 
is  found  to  exist  beyond  reasonable  doubt,  does 
astronomical  science  now  possess  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  movements  of  the  sun  and 
moon  as  to  pronounce  wdth  certainty  as  to  what 
were  their  relative  positions  on  the  date  of  the 
occurrence  of  the  recorded  event? 

I  do  not  profess  any  knowledge  of  the 
Eebrew,  neither  do  I  pretend  to  have  made 
a  profound  examination  of  the  passage  in 
the  tenth  chapter  of  Joshua,  in  which  this 
event  is  presumed  to  be  recorded.  It  is  suffi- 
cient for  my  purpose  to  state  that  able  critics 
among  the  students  of  sacred  literature  have 
reached  the  conclusion  that  the  declaration  in 
question  is  a  poetical  quotation  from  the  Book 
of  Jasher,  and  hence  the  statement,  "  is  not  this 
written  in  the  book  of  Jasher,"  or  ^Hhe  upright." 
This  same  book  is  quoted  nearly  in  the  same 
language  in  one  of  the  other  books  of  the  Old 
Testament.     So  long,  then,  as  there  is  any  rea- 


MIRACLES     OF    POWER.  20^ 

sonable  doubt  as  to  the  verity  of  the  record,  it 
would  seem  quite  unnecessary  to  hold  those  who 
receive  the  Bible  as  a  book  of  divine  auihority 
responsible  for  a  miracle  which  seems  to  involve 
nothing  less  than  the  suspension  of  the  laws  of 
nature  in  that  vast  realm  Avherein  uniformity 
seems  to  be  most  positively  demanded. 

Again,  if  we  examine  the  record  we  find,  that 
in  case  certain  portions  are  omitted,  in  which  this 
poetical  quotation  is  involved,  that  the  historical 
account  is  made  more  consistent  with  itself.  We 
are  told  that  Joshua  came  up  to  the  aid  of 
Gibeon,  from  Gilgal,  by  a  forced  march  which 
continued  all  night.  The  battle  with  the  five 
kings  occurred  the  next  day,  in  which  they  were 
discomfited,  and  fled  before  the  army  of  Joshua, 
being  pursued  and  destroyed  by  tempest  and  by 
hail-stones,  "and  there  were  more  which  died 
with  the  hail-stones,  than  they  whom  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  sIoav  with  the  sword."  If  now 
we  omit  verses  12^  13,  14,  15,  and  16,  the  nar- 
rative continues  :  '^  And  it  was  told  Joshua,  say- 
ing. The  five  kings  are  found  in  a  cave  at  Mak- 
kedah."     But  if  these  verses  be  retained,  we  are 


270  ASTRONOMICAL    MIRACLES 

told,  in  the  fifteenth  verse,  that  Joshua  returned 
to  Gilgal  and  all  Israel  with  him,  and  no  mention 
whatever  is  made  of  his  coming  again  to  Mak- 
kedah,  to  complete  the  conquest  of  this  and  the 
other  four  cities  which  were  destroyed,  after  the 
conquest  of  which'  it  is  again  said  that  Joshua 
and  all  Israel  with  him  returned  to  the  camp  at 
(jilgal,  precisely  as  in  the  fifteenth  verse. 

There  seems,  therefore,  a  reasonable  doubt  as 
to  the  correctness  of  the  record,  and  as  to 
whether  this  seeming  record  of  miraculous  inter- 
position, by  the  arrest  of  the  apparent  motion  of 
the  sun  and  moon,  may  not  be  a  mere  quotation 
from  some  ancient  Hebrew  poem  now  lost. 

Indeed  the  defeat  and  destruction  of  the 
Amorites  seems  to  have  been  complete.  They 
fled  before  Israel  and  were  destroyed  by  the 
hail-storm  from  Beth-horon  to  Azekah,  and  after 
this  signal  destruction  and  already  miraculous 
victory,  we  are  told  that  Joshua  spake  unto  the 
Lord,  and  he  said  in  the  sight  of  all  Israel,  "  Sun, 
stand  thou  still  on  Gibeon,  and  thou  moon  in  the 
valley  of  Ajalon."  This  prolonging  of  the  day 
does  not  seem  to  be  necessary  under  the  circum- 


MIKACLES     or     POWER.  271 

stances,  and  so  soon  as  our  suspicion  is  aroused 
as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  passage,  we  see 
many  reasons  to  confirm  this  suspicion.  But  we 
will  leave  this,  where  it  properly  belongs,  to 
biblical  critics,  and  return  to  the  consideration 
of  the  question.  Does  our  present  knowledge  of 
the  relative  motions  of  the  sun  and  moon  enable 
us  to  decide  whether  any  such  miracle  has  been 
absolutely  performed  ? 

To  bring  this  question  within  the  legitimate 
scope  of  astronomical  investigation,  we  must 
admit  that  the  miracle  was  performed,  not  by  the 
interposition  of  a  refracting  medium,  which  made 
the  sun  and  moon  appear  to  stand  still,  but  by  a 
positive  cessation  of  the  motion  of  rotation  of 
the  earth  on  its  axis,  whereby  a  day  was  in- 
creased in  length  by  a  certain  number  of  hours, 
amounting  to,  say,  from  eight  to  twelve. 

The  event  under  consideration  took  place  about 
one  thousand  four  hundred  years  b.  c,  and  con- 
sequently more  than  three  thousand  two  hundred 
years  ago.  Can  the  science  of  Astronomy  go 
back  to  so  remote  a  period,  and  pronounce  with 
certainty  as  to  the  relative  positions  of  the  sun 


272  ASTKONOMICAL     MIRACLES 

and  moon  ?  In  case  it  be  possible  to  determine 
the  relative  positions  of  Gibeon  and  Ajalon,  sucb 
is  our  present  knowledge  of  the  apparent  motions 
of  the  sun  and  moon,  that  we  could  compute 
backward  and  pronounce  with  certainty,  that  on 
a  given  day,  in  a  given  year,  the  sun  and  moon 
either  did  or  did  not  hold  the  places  assigned 
them. 

The  most  complex,  profound,  and  involved 
problem  ever  presented  for  human  investigation 
is  this  very  one  to  predict,  or  compute,  the  rela^ 
tive  places  of  the  sun  and  moon,  as  seen  by  a 
spectator  on  the  earth's  surface.  It  involves 
every  delicacy  of  instrumental  observation,  the 
entire  depth  and  pov;er  of  mathematical  analysis, 
every  artifice  of  computation,  and  a  full  knowl- 
edge of  the  numerous  orbs  whicli  constitute  the 
mighty  system  which  ovv^es  allegiance  to  the 
sun.  And  yet,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that 
after  a  struggle  of  six  tliousand  years,  involving 
the  best  talent,  the  most  pov/erful   genius,   the 


mo 


cf 


elaborate  effort,  the  problem  is  finally  solved, 
and  almost  at  the  very  time  we  write.  It  is 
possible    to  unwind  the    tangled    and    confused 


MIRACLES     OF    POWEK.  273 

pathway  of  the  moon  among  the  stars,  and  to 
unroll  the  golden  thread  spun  by  the  solar  orb, 
in  the  long  centuries  of  its  past  revolutions,  and 
to  pronounce  with  certainty,  that  on  a  given  day, 
at  a  given  hour,  the  sun  did  or  did  not  stand  over 
Gibeon,  while  the  moon  did  or  did  not  stand  over 
the  valley  of  Ajalon. 

This  is  now  demonstrated  by  the  computation 
and  ancient  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon,  eclipses 
observed  and  recorded  more  than  two  thousand 
years  ago.  Whenever,  then,  the  exact  geograph- 
ical position  of  Joshua's  camp  shall  have  been 
determined,  —  when  we  shall  learn  where  is 
Gibeon  and  the  valley  of  Ajalon,  —  when  we 
shall  come  to  know  at  what  season  of  the  year 
this  great  battle  was  fought,  in  what  month  and 
on  what  day  of  the  month  the  Hebrew  warrior 
won  his  great  victory, — then  we  can  pronounce 
with  positive  certainty  that  the  place  assigned 
to  the  sun  over  Gibeon  and  that  given  to  the 
moon  over  Ajalon  were  or  were  not  those  occu- 
pied by  these  celestial  orbs  on  the  date  of  this 
miraculous  event.  If,  indeed,  the  earth's  rota- 
tion were  then  suspended, — if,  at  the  bidding  of 

12* 


274  A STE GNOMICAL     MIKACLES 

God,  its  swift  revolution  on  its  "  noiseless  axle" 
slowly  died  away, — if  by  miraculous  power  the 
equilibrium  of  the  ocean  were  maintained,  and 
its  stupendous  wave  was  upheld  by  the  hand  of 
Divine  Omnipotence, — these  extraordinary  events 
must  stand  out  full,  positive,  absolute.  For  here 
there  will  be  a  break,  a  gap,  a  hiatus  created  by 
this  cessation  of  the  earth's  rotation  for  the  space 
of  a  whole  day,  in  uniform  recurrence  of  day  and 
night ;  and  the  astronomical  phenomena  prior  to 
this  wonderful  day  and  those  subsequent  to  it 
can  only  be  reconciled  on  the  supposition  that 
the  day  was  prolonged  to  double  its  usual  length. 
But  let  us  admit  that  astronomical  science  and 
computation  have  the  power  to  trace  back  the 
sun  and  moon,  and  pronounce  their  relative  posi- 
tions five  thousand  years  ago ;  let  us  admit  that 
eclipses  recorded  before  the  time  of  Joshua, 
when  compared  with  those  recorded  since  his 
time,  demonstrate  the  uniform  and  uninterrupted 
rotation  of  the  earth  on  its  axis  ;  let  us  admit 
that  the  most  satisfactory  and  indubitable  evi- 
dence of  the  geographical  positions  of  Gibeon 
and  Ajalon  are  reached,  and  the  date  of  Joshua's 


MIRACLES     OF    POWER  275 

victory  is  fixed  beyond  doubt  or  cavil ;  and  that 
astronomical  computation  shows  that  while  the 
sun  rested  over  Gibeon,  the  moon  did  hang  over 
the  valley  of  Ajalon, — what  will  all  this  show? 
SimjDly  and  solely  that  the  miraculous  arrest  of 
the  sun  and  moon  was  not  accomplished  by  the 
stoppage  of  the  earth's  rotation.  But  in  case 
astronomy,  pointed  to  the  above  facts,  demon- 
strates that  while  the  sun  actually  rested  over 
Gibeon  the  moon  could  not  have  hung  over 
Ajalon,  then  we  shall  bo  compelled  to  conclude 
that  the  event  has  been  interpolated  from  some 
ancient  Hebrew  poem  now  forever  lost. 

The  second  miracle  of  power, — :the  retreat  of 
the  shadow  on  the  sun-dial  of  Ahaz, — has  been 
already  sufficiently  considered,  and  may  be  so 
obviously  produced  by  the  interposition  of  a 
refracting  medium,  that  any  further  notice  seems 
quite  superfluous. 

From  the  preceding  discussion  the  question 
may  arise,  How  can  we  be  assured  that  God 
ever  does  positively  interrupt  any  of  the  lawa 
of  nature  ?  In  the  miracle  just  considered,  how 
could  we  become  assured  that  the  sun  and  mooa 


276  ASTRONOMICAL     MI  EAGLES 

were  positively  arrested  by  the  cessation  of  the 
earth's  rotation  ?  In  shorty  should  a  professed 
messenger  from  God  at  this  day  stand  upon  the 
earth  and  command  the  sun  and  moon  to  stay 
their  course  in  mid-heaven,  how  can  we  pro- 
nounce this  to  be  the  effect  of  a  refracting 
medium,  or  the  result  of  the  actual  stoppage  of 
the  earth's  axial  revolution  ? 

Our  present  knowledge  of  the  physical  struc- 
ture of  the  universe  is  such  that  we  could  not 
mistake  for  one  moment  the  real  nature  of  the 
miracle.  Should  the  rotation  of  the  earth  on  its 
axis  be  increased  by  five  seconds  of  time  in 
twenty-four  hours,  all  the  time-keepers  in  all  the 
watch-towers  of  the  world  would  proclaim  the 
fact,^ — all  the  stars  would  fail  to  keep  their 
appointed  meridian  transits,  and  vrould,  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  great  orbs  of  light,  linger  in  their 
nocturnal  march.  The  bursting  out  in  the 
heavens  of  a  thousand  fiery  comets  in  a  single 
night  could  produce  no  such  mortal  terror  to 
the  astronomer  as  this  falling  backward  of  the 
mighty  sphere  of  the  starry  universe  for  one  single 
second  in  tvv^enty-four  hours,  for  it  V\^ould  speak 


MIRACLES     OF     POWER.  277 

the  doom  of  the  universe  in  announcing  that  God's 
right  arm  vvas  growing  heavy,  and  His  omnip- 
otent will  was  commencing  to  stagger  under 
the  weight  of  ten  miUions  of  rolhng  vrorlds. 
Siiould  such  an  event  ever  occur, — should  the 
time  ever  come  wdien  indeed  those  shining  sen- 
tinels in  the  high  heavens  should  fail  to  keep 
their  appointed  A^igils, — when  the  astronomer 
shall  look  wistfully  through  /•  optic  tube"  for  the 
coming  of  the  faithful  star  which,  prompt  to  the 
thousandth  of  a  single  second,  has  traversed  his 
meridian  line,  and,  lo  !  the  star  lingers  in  its 
journey,  seconds  ebb  slowly  away  and  merge 
into  minutes,  and  at  last  the  star  appears,  no 
matter  if  with  its  w^onted  beauty,  the  astronomer 
stands  aghast,  and  w^ell  may  he  tremble,  for  the 
powers  of  the  heavens  are  smitten,  and  God  is 
deserting  the  universe  which  sprang  into  being 
at  His  divine  command.  Human  confidence  and 
faith  w^ould  be  gone  forever,  and  no  remedy 
could  avail  to  rectify  the  w^^ong. 

We  have  no  fears  that  our  confidence  w^ill 
ever  be  thus  rudely  shaken,  not  because  we 
believe  nature  and  her  laws  to  be  eternal,  not 


•278  ASTPwONOMICAL    MIEACLES 

because  we  believe  that  this  stupendous  mech- 
anism has  endured  from  all  eternity, — for  even 
then  after  countless  revolutions,  a  fault,  an 
anomaly,  a  failure  in  the  series  of  sequences 
might  occur,  and,  with  its  terrific  utterance, 
announce  the  possible  running  down  or  destruc- 
tion of  the  mechanism,  but  because  I  believe  that 
God  the  Eternal,  All-wise,  Incomprehensible, 
created  and  now  sustains  all  things  by  the  word 
of  His  power :  it  is  because  of  God's  eternity 
that  we  dwell  in  simple  trust  upon  an  unshaken 
order,  and  a  purpose  to  be  achieved. 

Before  closing  this  subject,  it  may  be  expected 
that  something  shall  be  said  of  those  remarkable 
passages  in  the  New  Testament,  in  which  are  set 
forth  in  prophetic  language,  at  once  sublime  and 
terrific,  the  final  doom  of  the  earth  we  inhabit. 
Is  it  credible  that  this  earth  is  to  be  consumed 
by  fire, — that  the  sun  and  moon  are  to  be  dark- 
ened,— that  the  stars  of  heaven  are  to  fall, — that 
the  skies  are  to  be  wrapped  in  flame,  and  to  be 
rolled  up  as  a  scroll, — are  these  oriental  figures 
or  dread  realities,  which  at  no  distant  day  are 
to  strike  terror  to  the  inhabitants  of  earth  ? 


MIRACLES     OF    POWEK.  279 

I  frankly  confess  I  do  not  know  how  to 
answer  these  questions,  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  all  the  science  and  philosophy  which  now 
exists  on  earth,  can  fit  an  individual  one  particle 
for  their  comprehension  or  solution.  There  are 
those  who  find  in  the  internal  structure  of  the 
earth, — its  volcanoes  with  their  rivers  of  molten 
lava, — evidences  that  these  sublime  predictions 
are  one  day  to  be  accomplished.  I  dare  not  thus 
point  out  to  the  All-wise  the  means  to  accomplish 
his  purposes.  I  can  only  bow  and  reverently 
accept.  And  do  you  really  believe  that  the  day 
will  ever  come,  when  this  great  globe,  with  its 
rock-ribbed  mountains,  shall  melt  with  fervent 
heat, — its  ocean  billows  flash  into  unmeasured 
volumes  of  fiery  steam,  —  when  flaming  fire 
shall  wrap  the  doomed  planet  and  devour  its  very 
being,  and  blot  it  from  its  kindred  family  of 
worlds  ?  I  can  only  answer  that  I  know  of  no 
special  reason  why  this  earth  should  be  eternal. 
Its  destruction  does  not  involve  the  well-being 
of  the  universe,  and  were  it  even  blotted  from 
existence  it  would  but  momentarily  disturb  the 
equilibrium   of  the  great  scheme   of  worlds,  of 


280  ASTPwONOMICAL    MIEACLES 

which  it  forms  an  insignificant  unit.  But  should 
God  destroy  its  present  form ;  should  it  indeed 
be  baptized  with  fire ;  should  it  be  purged  and 
purified,  God  can  bring  it  out  of  this  terrific 
ordeal,  not  one  atom  of  His  matter  lost,  but  all 
remodeled,  restored,  recreated,  a  new  world  filled 
with  beauty,  and  joy,  and  perpetual  happiness ; 
where  death — the  wages  of  sin — shall  never 
appear,  and  where  neither  tears,  nor  sobs,  nor 
sorrows  shall  dim  the  beauty  of  its  enchanting 
abodes. 

Of  all  these  things  I  am  profoundly  ignorant ; 
but  the  moment  the  mind  grasps  the  great  idea 
of  an  ever-living,  ever-active,  ever-present  God, 
the  Creator  and  Supporter  of  all  things,  our 
Father  and  our  Friend,  then  all  subordinate  dif- 
ficulties vanish.  There  we  cast  the  anchor  of 
our  faith,  sure  and  steadfast,  and  no  doubt  can 
ever  arise,  to  fling  its  darkness  and  gloom  over 
the  unruffled  sea  on  which  we  calmly  float. 

To  this  point  have  my  investigations,  and 
studies,  and  thoughts,  and  observations  in  the 
heavens  and  in  the  earth,  in  physical  nature  and 
in  human  thought,  in  matter  and  in  mind,  brought 


MIKACLES     OF     POWEK.  281 

me  with  irresistible  power.  As  a  physical  phi- 
losopher, I  am  compelled  to  beheve  in  God  ;  as 
a  believer  in  God,  I  am  compelled  to  accept  the 
great  truth,  that  He  can  reveal  himself  by  mi- 
raculous power.  As  a  student  of  the  economy, 
and  order,  and  perpetuity  of  God's  government, 
I  am  compelled  to  believe  that  no  miracle  will  be 
wrought  by  the  suspension  or  temporary  abroga- 
tion of  the  laws  of  nature,  which  are  God's 
uniform  expressions  of  His  Divine  will,  when 
the  same  may  be  accomplished  by  the  miraculous 
use  of  natural  laws.  As  a  thinking,  sentient, 
loving,  suffering,  wilhng,  being,  I  am  compelled  to 
lift  myself,  and  all  my  race,  immeasurably  above 
the  myriad  worlds  that  roll  and  shine  in  space, 
and  declare  that  a  single  tear  ebbing  from  the 
heart  of  humble  sorrow,  is  of  more  value,  in  the 
sight  of  God,  than  a  legion  of  suns.  The  moral, 
then,  towers  infinitely  above  the  material,  and  it 
is  only  to  give  to  the  moral  greater  strength, 
and  beauty,  and  grandeur,  that  God  has  organized 
the  material,  and  whenever  in  the  rolling  ages 
Divine  wisdom  shall  decide  that  one  atom  can 
be  added  to  the  moral  by  the  total  subversion  of 


282  ASTKONOMICAL    MIJRACLES. 

the  material,  then  the  sun  and  moon  shall  be 
darkened,  the  stars  shall  fall,  the  elements  shall 
melt  with  fervent  heat,  the  heavens  shall  be 
rolled  up  as  a  scroll,  and,  out  of  this  seeming 
destruction,  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  shall 
appear  radiant  with  beauty,  and  eternally 
crowned  with  the  blessings  of  God,  and  with 
never-ending  light  and  glory. 


LECTURE    VII 


THE  LAKGUAGE  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


LECTURE    VII. 

THE     LANGUAGE     OF     THE     BIBLE. 

It  is  our  purpose  now  to  consider  the  current 
language  emiployed  by  the  writers  of  the  sacred 
volume  in  speaking  of  the  physical  universe. 
There  nevev  has  been  a  time,  when  those  igno- 
rant of  any  science,  could  employ  that  science 
and  its  facts  intelligently  in  any  composition, 
for  the  very  language  used  would  inevitably 
reveal  the  fact,  that  the  writer  could  have  no  just 
idea  of  the  science  to  which  he  ventured  to 
make  reference.  This  remark  must  remain  true, 
when  applied  to  the  writers  of  the  various  books 
of  the  Bible.  It  is  in  vain  to  say  that  the 
grandeur  of  the  nocturnal  heavens,  the  glitter- 
ing splendors  of  the  starry  sphere,  the  dazzling 
glory  of  the  sun,  and  the  milder  effulgence  of 
the  moon  and  planets,  must  haye  inspired  exalted 
ideas  in  all  ages.     This  is  quite  as  true  of  all 


286  THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE 

the  ancient  historical  nations,  as  of  the  Hebrews. 
The  Babylonians,  the  Assyrians,  the  Persians, 
Greeks,  and  Eomans,  beheld  the  same  heavens 
and  were  illuminated  by  the  same  splendors 
which  shone  on  the  Hebrew  prophets  and  the 
Hebrew  poets,  and  yet  none  of  these  ancient 
nations  reached  any  such  exalted  conceptions,  or 
recorded  in  language  so  just  and  so  sublime,  the 
.direct  dependence  of  the  created  universe  on 
God  the  omnipotent  Creator. 

Thus  we  find  in  the  oldest  book  of  the  Hebrew 
scriptures,  in  the  very  first  sentence  of  that  most 
mysterious  of  volumes,  the  simple  sublime  dec- 
laration. In  the  heginning  God  created  the  heavens 
and  the  earth.  There  is  no  argument, — no  train 
of  complex  reasoning  on  the  relations  of  the 
material  and  immaterial, — no  profound  research 
into  the  origin  of  matter,  its  qualities  and  prop- 
erties, its  creation  and  primordial  condition  or  its 
eternal  existence, — there  is  no  talk  of  a  former 
chaos,  and  old  night,  and  the  omnipotent  energy 
put  forth  to  quell  the  chaotic  confusion  and  to 
educe  harmony  and  beauty; — not  one  word 
of    all     this,    but    simply    and    sublimely,    ''In 


THE    LAI^GUAGE     OF    THE    BIBLE.  237 

the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earthy 

When  we  compare  this  language  and  declara- 
tion with  the  origin  of  all  things  as  given  by  the 
most  ancient  nations,  we  can  not  fail  to  be  struck 
with  its  vast  superiority.  The  Egyptian  priests, 
according  to  Herodotus,  ascribe  all  things  to  a 
great  winged  egg)  the  Persians,  if  we  are  to 
credit  Eusebius,  made  the  principle  of  the  uni- 
verse a  gloomy  and  tempestuous  atmosphere. 
From  this  gloomy  and  tempestuous  atmosphere 
first  sprang  a  wind ;  this  wind,  becoming  enam- 
ored of  its  own  principle,  produced  desire  or 
love,  and  from  this  love,  with  the  wind  as  father, 
first  came  mind,  and  hence  all  the  generations  of 
the  universe. 

If  it  be  asserted  that  these  are  but  the  wild 
dreams  of  barbarians,  let  us  examine  for  a  mo- 
ment the  theories  of  the  refined  and  philosophic 
Greeks.  Thales,  the  Ionian,  and  the  founder  of 
a  philosophic  sect,  made  water  the  universal 
principle ;  Plato,  the  prince  of  Greek  philos- 
ophers, maintained  that  the  universe  was  simply 
arranged  by  the  power  of  God,  but  that-  the 


288  THE     LANGUAGE     OF     THE    BIBLE. 

Deity  was  incapcable  of  such  a  creation;  Aris-^ 
totle  adopted  the  philosophy  of  Plato  ;  Zeno 
maintained  that  the  universe,  as  it  now  exists, 
was  brought  into  order  by  its  own  energy; 
while  Epicurus  asserted  that  all  things  had 
sprung  from  a  fortuitous  concourse  of  atoms. 

lie  who  now  scans  the  magnificence  and  gran- 
deur of  the  celestial  mechanism, — who  surveys 
the  sublime  equilibrium  of  the  rolling  worlds 
which  circle  round  the  sun,  swaying  and  swayed, 
disturbing  and  disturbed,  ever  changing  and 
never  changed,  rolling  on  from  eternity  to  eter- 
nity,— will  be  compelled  to  adopt  the  language 
of  the  Hebrew  leader  and  lawgiver,  "  In  the 
beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth."  If  we  extend  our  researches  beyond 
the  limit  of  the  sun's  domain,  sweeping  beyond 
the  orbit  of  the  farthest  planet,  and  ever  leaving 
behind  us  the  utmost  verge  of  the  comets'  sweep, 
penetrating  the  region  of  the  blazing  stars,  and 
traveling!:  in  the  miorht  of  human  thou2;ht  and 
human  vision,  from  universe  to  universe,  here 
surrounded  by  systems  of  m.ysterious  organiza- 
tion, with  an  equilibrium  of  motion  as  sublime 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE     BIBLE.  28& 

and  solid  as  eternity, — we  instinctively  adopt 
the  language  of  Moses  tlie  servant  of  God,  and 
exclaim,  In  the  hejinning  God  created  the  heavens 
and  the  earth. 

The  same  suhlime  simplicity  pervades  the 
entire  account  given  by  Moses,  of  the  order  of 
creation.  The  Spirit  of  God  moved  on  the 
face  of  the  waters  5  and  God  said.  Let  there  be 
light,  and  there  was  light.  And  God  said,  Let 
the  earth  bring  forth.  And  God  made  man  in 
His  own  image,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  hfe,  and  he  became  a  living  creature. 
And  these  are  the  generations  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  God 
created  the  heavens  and  the  earth. 

The  problem  presented  for  solution  is  simply 
this  :  Does  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  uni- 
verse as  developed  by  the  grand  discoveries  of 
modern  science,  cause  these  declarations  to  sink 
into  insignificance,  or  to  rise  to  grander  and  more 
stupendous  proportions  ?  It  can  not  be  denied 
that  such  a  knowledge  as  we  now  possess  of  the 
structure  of  the  heavens,  does  cause  the  doctrine 
of    the   Egyptians,    Persians,   and    Greeks,   as 

13 


290  THE    LANGUAGE     OF    THE    BIBLE. 

already  sketched,  to  appear  simply  ridiculous. 
I  use  the  only  words  which  can  express  my 
meaning.  Even  the  philosophy  of  Plato  which 
elevates  matter  above  God,  and  asserts  the  power 
of  the  Omnipotent  to  extend  only  to  the  organi- 
zation and  not  to  creation,  can  not  satisfy  the 
demands  of  the  mind  imbued  with  a  full  knowl- 
edge of  the  revelations  of  modern  science.  We 
are  compelled  to  go  backward  to  the  beginning, 
and  propound  the  mighty  interrogatory,  Whence 
sprang  the  matter  of  which  these  multitudinous 
worlds  were  formed  ?  Whence  the  mysterious 
and  incomprehensible  principle  of  light  ?  Whence 
the  still  more  mysterious  and  incomprehensible 
principle  of  vegetable  life  ?  And  whence  the 
breath  of  life,  whereby  man  became  a  living 
soul,  with  thought  and  reason,  joy,  sorrow,  and 
love  ?  These  questions  must  be  answered,  and 
we  find  the  only  satisfactory  response  in  the 
hmgiiage  of  the  Bible  :  God  hath  created  all 
things  and  sustaineth  all  things,  by  the  word  of 
His  power. 

Leaving  this  great  topic  of  creation,  which  we 
shall  treat  hereafter  more  at  larce,  and  which  we 


THE     LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  291 

now  only  mention  for  the  purpose  of  noting  the 
language  employed  by  the  Hebrew  writer,  let  us 
pass  to  an  examination  of  the  doctrine  of  God's 
providence,  as  dispLayed  in  the  maintenance  of 
absolute  rule  in  the  physical  universe. 

There  are,  doubtless,  philosophers  and  astron- 
omers, who  in  their  mathematical  and  astronomi- 
cal investigations,  leave  out  of  the  great  problem 
of  nature  the  very  being  of  God.  This,  indeed, 
in  the  very  nature  of  things  they  are  compelled 
to  do.  No  power  of  analytical  grasp,  no  refnie- 
ment  of  infinitesimal  arithmetic  can  reach  the 
being  and  attributes  of  God.  The  philosopher 
and  mathematician  is  compelled  to  begin  exactly 
where  Moses  left  off.  In  the  beginning  God 
created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  says  Moses, 
and  admitting  this  de-claration,  the  philosopher 
undertakes  to  discover  the  plan  according  to 
which  this  creation  was  effected,  and  by  means 
of  which  it  is  now  maintained.  The  sun,  the 
moon,  the  planets,  the  comets,  the  stars,  exist ; 
they  roll  and  shine,  measuring  time  by  their 
mighty  revolutions,  and  filling  space  by  their 
sublime  orbits.     There  they  arc  as  God  created 


292  THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

them,  and  the  philosopher  simply  inquires,  Ac- 
cording to  what  laws  do  they  niovc  ?  What  recip- 
rocal influences  do  they  exert?  What  are  the 
forms  and  limits  of  their  mighty  orbits  ?  What 
the  sublime  periods  of  their  march  through 
space  ?  What  the  nature  of  the  dynamic  equi- 
librium which  links  them  into  groupings  of  sur- 
passing grandeur? 

It  is  true  that  in  all  these  investigations  the 
very  being  of  God  may  be  forgotten.  For  the 
lawgiver  we  may  substitute  the  laws.  Gravi- 
tation may  supersede,  in  mathematical  research, 
the  omnipotence  of  God.  The  laws  of  motion, 
simple,  invariable,  eternal,  may  stand  for  that 
attribute  of  Jehovah's  will  which  changeth  not, 
the  same,  yesterday,  to-day  and  forever.  The 
sun  himself  may  be  shorn  of  his  effulgence :  his 
light,  and  heat,  and  life,  may  shrink  and  fade 
beneath  the  withering  breath  of  philosophy,  and 
this  mighty  and  glorious  orb  become  a  material 
heavv  point,  and  all  the  revolving  planets  and 
their  moons,  other  material  heavy  points,  at 
definite  distances,  and  with  determinate  weights, 
and  thus  the  will  of  God,  as  manifested  in  His 


THE     LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  2J3 

laws,  and  the  very  creations  of  God  as  exhibited 
in  his  suns,  and  systems,  and  moving  worlds, 
become  the  mere  hypotheses  and  material  points 
in  the  diagram  of  the  mathematician's  slate, — and 
what  then?  Does  this  destroy  God  and  his 
attributes  ?  Does  this  blot  out  of  the  heavens 
the  blazing  sun  ?  Does  this  strike  from  being, 
planet,  and  moon,  and  earth  teeming  with  life, 
and  hope,  and  joy,  and  love,  and  immortality  ? — 
Never !  They  all  remain :  while  the  geometer 
grapples  these  wondrous  orbs  in  their  weight, 
dimensions,  distances,  and  motions,  with  his  sub- 
lime analytic  machinery,  and  with  gigantic 
intellectual  power  follows  their  grand  career, — 
the  problem  solved,  the  orbit  figured,  the  period 
predicted, — all,  all  proclaim  the  being  of  God, 
the  unchangeableness  of  the  laws  of  His  phys- 
ical government,  and  the  grasp  of  thought  w^ith 
which  He  has  endowed  His  own  image,  into 
"whose  nostrils  He  breathed  the  breath  of  life. 
It  has  been  truly  sung : 


The  undevout  astronomer  is  mad- 


and  yet,  alas  !  we  are   compelled  in  a  few  in^ 


294  THE    LANGUAGE     OF     THE    BIBLE. 

stances  to  confess,  that  this  madness  has  filled 
the  hearts  of  some  whose  names  have  been 
written  in  letters  of  living  liglit,  on  the  very 
circle  of  the  heavens.  I  say  a  few  instances, 
for  by  far  the  greater  number  of  the  heroes  of 
science  are  to  be  counted  among  the  devout. 
Copernicus,  and  Kepler,  and  Tycho,  and  Galileo, 
and  the  prince  of  philosophers,  Newton  the  im- 
mortal— all  looked  through  nature  to  nature's 
God's.  Kepler,  in  all  his  grand  investigations, 
commenced  his  daily  toil  by  invoking  the  aid  of 
Divine  wdsdom,  and  Newton's  reverence  w^as  so 
great,  that  he  never  uttered  the  name  of  God 
v/ithout  reverently  lifting  his  hand  to  his  head, 
feeling  the  immediate  presence  of  the  divinity 
in  His  material  w^orks.  And,  yet,  these  are  the 
greatest  names  which  the  annals  of  astronomy 
and  science  can  boast, — their  investigations  w^ere 
more  profound,  their  mathematics  deeper  than 
most  of  those  could  boast,  who  are  now  com- 
pelled to  acknowledge  themselves  humble  fol- 
lowers of  these  great  luminaries.  We  say, 
then,  that  while  in  minds  especially  framed 
for  pure  fliysical  research,  there  is  a  tendency 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE  295 

to  and  undue  preponderance  of  mathematical 
reasoning,  the  abstractions  of  science,  and  the 
mathematics  of  astronomy,  do  not  of  necessity 
lead  to  skepticism. 

In  the  Yv^riters  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures, 
there  is  no  exhibition  of  a  knowledge  of  phys- 
ical science,  no  mathematical  investigations. 
Simple  declarations  are  made,  and  these  declara- 
tions are  either  in  coincidence  with  or  opposed 
to  what  science  now  teaches,  and  it  is  the  lan- 
guage employed  in  the  declaration  which  we 
propose  to  re-examine. 

In  proclaiming  the  majesty  of  God,  the  He- 
brew prophet  exclaims  :  "  Lift  up  your  eyes  on 
high,  and  behold !  He  hath  created  all  these  things 
that  bringeth  out  their  hosts  by  number,  He 
calleth  them  all  by  names  by  the  greatness  of 
His  might."  Again,  the  same  prophet  proclaims, 
that  "  God  hath  measured  the  waters  in  the 
hollow  of  His  hand,  and  meted  out  the  heavens 
with  a  span,  and  comprehended  the  dust  of  the 
earth  in  a  measure,  and  weighed  the  mountains 
in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  balance."  The 
Hebrew  poet,  addressing  the  Almighty,  uses  this 


296  THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

sublime  language :  "  0  Lord  my  God,  thou  art 
very  great ;  thou  art  clothed  with  honor  and 
with  majesty  :  who  coverest  thyself  with  light 
as  with  a  garment :  who  stretchest  out  the 
heavens  like  a  curtain :  who  maketh  the  clouds 
his  chariot :  who  walketh  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind :  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth, 
that  it  should  not  be  removed  forever.  Thou 
coverest  it  wdth  the  deep  as  with  a  garment." 
So  Job  declares  that  God  by  His  spirit  hath 
garnished  the  heavens,  His  hand  hath  formed 
the  crooked  serpent :  lo  !  these  are  a  part  of  His 
ways,  but  the  thunders  of  His  power  wdio  can 
understand  !  Again,  the  same  old  author  in  that 
sublime  chapter  in  which  the  Lord  ansvvers  out 
of  the  whirlwind,  asks  :  "  Knowest  thou  the 
ordinances  of  heaven,  and  canst  thou  set  the 
dominion  thereof  on  the  earth  ?" 

It  is  needless  to  multiply  quotations.  Through- 
out the  entire  volumes  of  the  Old  and  New  Tcs- 
tam.ent,  there  is  is  but  one  opinion  expressed  by 
every  writer  in  every  age,  and  that  opinion  not 
only  ascribes  to  God  the  creation  of  all  things, 
by  the  Avord  of  His   power,  but   God   is  repre- 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  297 

sentecl   as  momentarily  sustaining  the  universe, 
upholding  all  things  by  His  Divine  command. 

Are  these  views  and  expressions  in  accord- 
ance with   the   present  knowledge  of  the  phys- 
ical  universe?     When  we  have  gone  from  the 
sun,  with  its  stupendous  dimensions,  through  the 
planetary  orbs ;  when  we  have   examined  their 
admirable  organization,  and  their  exquisite  equi- 
librium ;  when  we  behold  the  paths  they  describe, 
and  the  ceaseless  cycles  they  fulfil;  when  amidst 
never-ending  changes  w^e  find  the  earth  linked  to 
its    orbit   with   fetters    of  adamant;    when    we 
behold   the    admirable   adjustment  of   sun,  and 
jDlanet,  and   satellite,  so  that  in  all  the  revolving 
ages,  seed-time  and  harvest,  summer  and  winter, 
and  day  and  night,  shall  never  fail ;  when  wdth 
telescopic  power  w^e  fathom  the  i3rofundity  of 
space,  and  visit  the  island  universes  that  stretch 
away  in  a  vast  illimitable  perspective ;  when  suns 
and  systems  tower  in  grandeur  on  the  right  hand 
and  on  the  left,  and  the  womb  of  space  teems 
with  glittering  worlds   like   sands   on  the   sea- 
shore ; — with  thoughts  thus  expanded  and  touch- 
ing the  infinite ;  with  the  soul  aglow  with  sub- 
13* 


298  1HE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

limity ;  with  aspirations  exalted,  let  us  turn  to  the 
language  of  the  Bible,  and  learn  whether  it  exalts 
the  sensations  and  sentiments  we  feel  or  crushes 
them  by  its  weakness  and  impotency.  Let  the 
answer  come  from  the  Hebrew  Psalmist,  from  the 
prophets,  from  the  language  of  those  grand 
apocalyptic  visions  of  St.  John.  I  care  not 
where  it  be  selected,  it  furnishes  the  only  fitting 
vehicle  to  express  the  thoughts  that  overwhelm 
us ;  and  we  break  out  involuntarily  in  the  lan- 
guage of  God's  own  inspiration  :  "  The  heavens 
declare  the  glory  of  God,  the  firmament  showeth 
his  handywork.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 
and  night  unto  night  showeth  forth  knowledge.'* 
"When  I  consider  thy  heavens  the  work  of  thy 
fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars  which  thou  hast 
ordained ;  Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou  art  mind- 
ful of  him,  or  the  son  of  man  that  thou  visitest 
him."  "  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning  and 
fly  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  lo !  thou 
art  there  ;  if  I  ascend  to  the  heaven  of  heavens, 
lo !  thy  presence  filleth  immensity.  Thou,  and 
thou  alone  art  God  over  all,  and  blessed  for- 
ever! 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  299 

Let  US  examine  some  of  these  wonderful 
declarations  with  more  critical  attention,  and 
learn  whether  they  will  bear  the  test  of  severe 
analysis.  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  forth  His  handy- 
work."  The  glory  of  an  earthly  monarch  is 
derived  from  the  extent  and  variety  of  his 
empire ;  from  the  perfection  of  his  laws  and  per- 
fect manner  in  which  they  are  administered  ;  and 
from  the  consequent  happiness  and  prosperity  of 
his  subjects.  God's  empire  as  displayed  in  the 
material  universe,  is  thus  far  immeasurable  :  no 
sounding  line  or  telescopic  ray  has  ever  flung  its 
plummet  so  deep,  as  to  measure  its  vast  pro- 
fundity. The  dimensions  of  the  sun's  domain 
are  such  as  to  defy  the  power  of  human  concep- 
tion adequately  to  grasp.  Who  can  conceive  the 
magnitude  of  the  orbit  of  Neptune,  revolving  at 
a  distance  from  the  sun  of  no  less  than  three 
thousand  millions  of  miles  ?  But  this  is  only  a 
minute  atom,  when  we  come  to  consider  the  dis- 
tance of  the  fixed  stars,  whose  average  distance 
from  the  sun  must  exceed  the  distance  of  Neptune 
in  the  enormous  ratio  of  twenty  thousand  to  one] 


300  THE     LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

SO  that  while  the  light  of  Neptune  may  reach 
the  sun  in  five  hours,  that  from  the  fixed  stars 
of  greatest  magnitude;  will  occupy  not  less  than 
ten  years. 

This  brings  us  to  the  nearest  portion  of  that 
vast  congeries  of  stars  which  we  denominate  the 
Milky  Way,  composed  of  not  less  than  one  hun- 
dred millions  of  suns,  and  of  such  vast  proper-^ 
tions,  that  light  flashing  at  the  rate  of  twelve 
millions  of  miles  in  a  single  minute  could  not 
cross  its  deepest  range  in  less  than  ten  thousand 
years.  Leaving  the  Milky  Way  and  plunging 
yet  deeper  into  space,  we  find  other  milky  ways 
grander  and  mpre  populous  in  stars  even  than 
our  own,  until  at  last  our  telescopic  ray  extends 
so  deeply,  that  its  length,  furnishing  a  journey 
for  the  swift  wing  of  light  of  more  than  three 
millions  of  years,  fails  to  plunge  across  any  other 
mighty  depth,  and  we  stand  wondering  and  awe^' 
struck  on  the  very  threshold  of  infinitude. 

These  statements  are  not  vague  conjectures ; 
they  are  founded  in  the  clearest  reasoning,  and 
if  there  be  any  error  it  is  rather  in  contracting 
than  expanding   the  just   limits  of  the  visible 


THE     LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  301 

universe.  The  heavens,  then,  in  their  vast,  in- 
comprehensible dimensions,  and  in  the  unconnted 
millions  of  their  clustering  orbs,  proclaim  the 
glory  of  God's  empire. 

If  now  we  direct  our  attention  to  the  laws  by 
which  this  vast  empire  is  governed,  we  find  them 
absolutely  perfect.  Every  atom  that  floats  in 
the  sunbeam ;  every  planet  that  wheels  through 
space  ;  every  sun  with  its  famil}^  of  worlds ; 
every  island  universe ;  all  obey  the  grand  laws 
by  which  absolute  perfection  reigns  wherever 
matter  fills  the  womb  of  space.  These  laws  are 
not  only  perfect,  but  they  are  perfectly  adminis- 
tered. They  change  not.  In  all  the  ages  past 
there  comes  up  no  evidence  that  gravitation  and 
motion  have  ever  for  a  single  moment  relaxed 
their  power.  But  these  laws  in  and  of  them- 
selves are  incapable  of  producing  a  system. 
They  could  not  create  the  sun,  or  select  the 
planets,  or  project  their  orbits.  This  demanded 
the  wisdom  and  power  of  God.  When  we  be- 
hold the  delicate  equilibrium  which  characterizes 
the  sun's  system,  in  which  world  is  balanced 
asL^alnst  world,  and  satellite  against  satellite,  in 


g02  THE     LANGUAGE     OF     THE     BIBLE. 

which  not  one  of  these  multitudinous  orbs  could 
be  displaced;,  without  destroying  the  harmony 
and  perfection  of  the  whole, —  in  which  each 
planet  and  satellite  affects  the  movement  of 
every  other,  to  their  disturbing  powers  a  limit 
being  fixed  beyond  which  they  can  never  pass, 
so  that  for  countless  millions  of  ages,  the  earth 
shall  roll  on  in  its  orbit,  giving  to  its  inhabitants 
seed-time  and  harvest,  and  summer  and  winter, 
and,  forever  silently  revolving  on  its  well-poised 
axle,  shall  teach  the  dayspring  from  on  high  to 
keep  its  place,  and  day  and  night  to  preserve 
perpetual  covenant  with  God, — we  are  again  led 
to  exclaim  : — ""  Surely  the  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  forth 
his  handy  work !" 

These  results  are  not  the  offspring  of  accident, 
they  are  not  the  evolutions  of  bhnd  fatality, 
they  are  the  arrangements  of  an  ever-living 
omnipotent,  omniscient  power,  Vv^ho  can  be  none 
other  than  God  the  Creator.  Wisdom  infinite, 
is  written  all  over  the  universe.  Wisdom  was 
w^ith  God  from  all  eternity,  from  everlasting,  from 
Ihe  beginning,  or  ever  the  earth  was.      When 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  303 

there  were  no  depths,  wisdom  was  brought 
forth, — so  hath  the  finger  of  inspiration  writ- 
ten— "  while  as  yet  He  had  not  made  the  earth 
nor  the  fields.  When  He  prepared  the  heavens  I 
was  there  :  when  He  set  a  compass  on  the  fice 
of  the  depth  :  when  He  established  the  clouds 
above  :  when  He  strengthened  the  fountains  of 
the  deep :  Vvdien  He  gave  to  the  sea  His  decree, 
that  the  waters  should  not  pass  His  command- 
ment:  when  He  appointed  the  foundations  of 
the  earth."  The  wisdom  of  God  reigns  supreme 
throughout  the  manifold  works  of  His  creation. 
Thus  is  it  written  in  the  word  of  God,  and  thus 
is  it  recorded  in  the  celestial  machinery  which  is 
recorded  on  high. 

We  are  now  so  much  accustomed  to  the  em- 
ployment of  the  language  of  the  Bible,  in  the 
expression  of  our  thoughts  concerning  nature, 
that  we  scarcely  recognize  the  astonishing  char- 
acter of  the  fact  tliat  this  harmony  exists.  We 
are  almost  led  to  the  conclusion  that  it  could  not 
be  otherwise,  the  language  is  so  exact  and  so 
apposite  ;  the  expressions  so  powerful,  that  it 
would  seem  that  he  who  coined  these  phrases 


304         THE    LANGUAGE     OF    THE    BIBLE. 

must  have  possessed  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  objects  to  which  they  are  apphed. 

We  must  constantly  bear  in  mind  the  fact, 
that  all  the  books  of  the  Bible  were  closed  before 
the  da^vn  of  modern  science.  No  knowledge  of 
the  true  mechanism  of  the  universe  then  existed, 
and  for  ages  after  the  last  book  of  the  Hebrew 
scriptures  was  written  and  the  roA^elation  sealed, 
a  false  system  prevailed  and  exerted  an  unbroken 
sway  over  the  human  mind.  Had  this  old  doc- 
trine of  Ptolemy,  the  Greek  astronomer,  been 
demonstrated  to  be  absolutely  true,  then  the 
superlative  language  of  the  Bible  could  not  have 
been  applied,  and  the  heavens  would  not  have 
declared  the  glory  of  God,  neither  would  the 
firmament  have  shown  forth  his  handywork. 
The  complexity  and  cumbrousness  of  the  Ptole- 
maic system  grew  to  such  vast  dimensions,  that 
human  genius  revolted,  and  reached  the  con- 
clusion : — either  that  such  a  universe  had  not 
sprung  from  the  hand  of  an  omniscient  God,  or 
that  the  true  system  of  nature  remained  to  be 
discovered. 

Indeed  at  the  time  when  Galileo  attacked  with 


THE    LANGUAGE     OF     THE    BIBLE.  305 

SO  much  power  the  hoary  doctrmes  of  the  Greek 
astronomers^  and  when  the    Church   ignorantly 
fearing  lest  faith  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible 
might  be  shaken  by  the  subversion  of  the  Ptole- 
maic system^  with  what  Yehemence  might  Gali- 
leo have  retorted,  that  these  same  sacred  books 
assert  that  the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 
that  the  firmament  showeth  His  handy  work ;  that 
God  had  created  all  things  in  wisdom  and  by  the 
word  of  His  power ;  that  it  was  only  by  aban- 
doning these  false  systems   that  it  became  pos- 
sible to  verify  the    declarations   of    the   sacred 
text;  that  as  there  was  but  one  God,  so  there 
could    be    only   one   single  plan  thrcaghout  the 
created  universe. 

Let  us  now  pass  from  these  genv^ral  expres- 
sions of  scripture,  to  those  which  are  more 
specific.  It  may  be  contended  that  the  language 
we  have  cited  would  naturally  flow  from  a  con- 
templation of  the  splendid  spectacle  presented  in 
the  nocturnal  heavens,  and  that  the  power  of 
an  eastern  imagination  has  been  wonderfully 
successful  in  picturing  the  true  glories  of  the 
universe. 


80G  THE     LANGUAGE     OF     THE     BIBLE. 

We  find  in  the  Hebrew  prophets  an  occasional 
use  of  astronomical  facts,  to  affirm  and  intensify 
a  declaration.  Thus,  when  God  would  illustrate 
the  perpetuity  of  His  covenant  with  Israel,  the 
prophet  is  made  to  employ  no  less  than  five 
astronomical  illustrations  to  affirm  this  truth  with 
greater  power  and  cogency.  '^  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  who  giveth  the  sun  for  a  light  by  day, 
and  the  ordinances  of  the  moon,  and  the  stars, 
for  a  light  by  night,  if  these  ordinances  depart 
from  before  me  then  may  my  promise  fail."  "If 
heaven  above  can  be  measured,  and  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth  searched  out  from  beneath, 
then  and  not  till  then  wiU  I  cast  off  my  people." 
"  If  ye  can  break  my  covenant  of  the  day,  and 
my  covenant  of  the  night,  and  that  there  should 
not  be  day  and  night  in  their  season ;  then  may 
my  covenant  be  broken  with  my  servant  David." 
"As  the  host  of  heaven  can  not  be  numbered, 
so  will  I  multiply  the  seed  of  David."  "  If  my 
covenant  be  not  with  day  and  night,  and  if  I 
have  not  appointed  the  ordinances  of  heaven  and 
earth,  then  will  I  cast  away  the  seed  of  Jacob." 

Here,   then,   are   five    distinct    declarations : 


THE    LANGUAGE     OF    THE    BIBLE.  307 

That  God  had  appointed  the  ordinances  of 
heaven  and  earth ;  the  laws  by  which  all  the 
material  worlds  arc  governed  and  that  these  laws 
could  never  change. 

That  He  had  made  a  covenant  with  day  and 
night,  absolutely  irreversible,  so  that  so  long  as 
time  should  last  there  should  be  day  and  night 
in  their  season. 

That  the  host  of  heaven  could  not  be  num- 
bered. 

Tliat  the  foundations  of  the  earth  could  not 
be  searched  out  from  beneath;  and,  that  the 
heavens  above  could  never  be  measured  or  their 
mighty  depths  sounded,  by  any  power  of  man's 
device. 

Let  us  proceed  to  examine  these  topics  in 
order.  The  ordinances  of  Heaven  and  earth, — 
the  laws  of  the  physical  universe,  are  never  sev- 
ered,— so  in  Job  :  "  Knowest  thou  the  ordinances 
of  heaven,  and  canst  thou  set  the  dominion 
thereof  on  the  earth."  Thus,  these  laws  what- 
ever they  may  be,  exert  their  dominion  over  the 
objects  that  shine  in  the  heavens  as  well  as  upon 
the  earth  we  inhabit.     It  is,  surely,  a  remarkable 


308  THE    LANGUAGE     OF    THE    BIBLE. 

fact  that  the  heavens  and  the  earth  are  thus 
inseparably  united,  in  the  language  of  the  Hebrew 
scriptures,  when  they  are  invariably  treated  with 
positive  severance  by  all  the  writers  of  all  the 
primitive  nations  of  which  we  have  any  record. 
And  yet  this  grand  truth  has  but  just  been 
revealed  by  modern  science.  The  law  of  uni- 
versal gravitation  and  the  laws  of  motion,  sweep 
under  their  dominion  the  sun,  and  moon,  and 
planets,  and  comets,  even  the  distant  stars,  and 
to  this  grand  list  we  now  add  the  earth  itself,  in 
its  mass,  and  in  every  particle  which  constitutes 
its  mass.  Every  drop  of  its  ocean ;  every  atom 
of  its  cloudy  vapors  ;  every  particle  of  its  rugged 
mountains,  and  broad-spread  continents ;  even 
the  very  invariable  atmosphere,  which  like  a  gar- 
ment of  beauty  wraps  the  earth,  is  subject  to 
these  same  laws.  This  absolute  unity,  this  one- 
ness of  matter,  is  one  of  the  most  overwhelming 
facts  of  modern  science,  and  yet  the  ordinances 
of  the  gle  iming  heavens  and  the  solid  earth  are 
one  and  indivisible.  But  do  the  conditions  of 
these  laws  of  matter  and  their  perpetuity  present 
a  fit  emblem  to  illustrate  the  inviolable  nature 


THE    LANGUAGE     OF    THE    BIBLE.         309 

of  a  promise  made  by  Him  who  changeth  not, 
who  is  the  Father  of  light,  in  w^hom  there  is  no 
variableness  (parallax),  nor  shadow  of  change? 
I  answer,  that  there  is  no  way  by  which  we  can 
fitly  illustrate  the  perpetuity  of  God's  covenant, 
but  by  this  very  invariableness  of  the  ordi- 
nances of  heaven  and  earth.  From  age  to  age 
throughout  the  countless  millions  of  years  which 
have  poured  into  the  ocean  of  the  past,  and 
throughout  the  innumerable  millions  which  con- 
stitute an  eternity  to  come,  we  have  reason  to 
believe  these  laws  will  never  change.  He  who 
framed  them  enacted  them  in  wisdom.  He  sent 
forth  His  decree,  and  it  stood  fast.  He  com- 
manded, and  they  were  created  :  He  hath  estab- 
lished them  for  ever  and  ever  ! 

We  have  already  examined  the  nature  of  the 
covenant  with  day  and  night,  and  have  marked 
the  admirable  exactitude  of  the  earth's  rotation 
on  its  axis.  Could  any  more  forcible  illustra- 
tion be  given  of  the  unchangeable  nature  of  a 
promise  made'  by  Him  who  taught  the  dayspring 
from  on  high  to  know  its  place. 

"  The  host  of  heaven  can  not  be  numbered." 


310  THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE 

In  case  the  stars  visible  to  the  unaided  vision  of 
man  had  constituted  the  entire  universe,  this 
Avould  have  been  a  very  feeble  illustration  of  the 
multitudes  which  should  be  found  among  the 
posterity  of  Israel.  The  stars  visible  to  the 
naked  eye  have  all  been  numbered  and  their 
places  fixed,  so  that  not  one  can  disappear  with- 
out its  loss  shall  become  at  once  manifest.  The 
actual  number  of  stars  visible  to  the  eye  of  man 
does  not  exceed  six  or  seven  thousand,  though  in 
looking  upon  a  clear  sky,  on  a  starlight  night, 
the  number  seems  to  be  vastly  greater.  At  the 
time  this  passage  was  written,  the  host  of  heaven 
could  not  have  been  numbered,  and  the  very  in- 
strument which  rendered  the  numbering  of  the 
then  visible  host  possible  brought  under  the 
gaze  of  man  hundreds  of  thousands  of  stars 
w^hich  had  never  before  been  seen.  Every 
accession  of  telescopic  power ;  every  advance 
of  human  skill  and  human  genius,  but  the  more 
clearly  demonstrates  the  utter  impossibility  of 
numbering  the  hosts  of  heaven.  The  innumer- 
able stars  that  powder  the  zone  of  the  Milky 
Way  to  the  naked   eye,  find  even  in  the  most 


THE    LANGUAGF    OF    THE    BIBLE.  311 

powerful  telescopes  theii  exact  counterpart  in 
other  universes  so  deeply  sunk  in  space,  that 
the  individual  suns  which  compose  their  vast 
dimensions  are  seen  but  as  a  faint  gleam  of 
luminous  haze  even  when  we  approach,  trans- 
ported by  telescopic  power,  to  within  the  thou- 
sandth part  of  their  actual  distance. 

If  the  hosts  of  heaven  can  not  be  numbered/ 
so,  also,  it  is  impossible  to  measure  the  heavens. 
We  have,  indeed,  reached  to  a  tolerable  knowl- 
edge of  the  planetary  distances, — and  even  the 
flight  of  the  comet  has  been  approximately 
measured ;  but  thus  far  the  stars  have  nearly 
defied  the  utmost  stretch  of  human  skill  and 
science.  A  few  years  since,  Bessel,  the  great 
German  astronomer,  announced  that  he  had 
measured  the  distance  of  a  double  star  in  the 
Constellation  of  the  Swan.  It  was  a  work  to 
crown  its  author  with  immortality.  Subsequent 
investigations  have  confirmed  measurably  the 
results  of  Bessel ;  but  to  show  the  exceeding 
difficulty  of  the  problem,  I  need  only  remark 
that  the  Russian  astronomer,  Otto  Struve,  has 
recently  published  an  elaborate  discussion  of  this 


312  THE     LANGUAGE     OF     THE    BIBLE. 

great  subject,  and  has  reached  conclusions  which 
dili'er  ironi  those  of  Bessel  by  a  third  part  of  the 
values  reached  by  the  latter;  so  that  a  parallactic 
angle  fixed  by  Bessel  at  thirty-six  hundreds  of 
one  second  of  arc  is  determined  by  StruA^e  to  be 
fifty  hundredths  of  the  same  unit.  The  dis- 
crepanc}'  between  these  results  can  only  be 
made  manifest  by  considering  the  actual  differ- 
ence in  the  distance  of  two  stars  whose  paral- 
laxes are  represented  by  thirty-six  and  by  fifty 
hundredths  of  one  second  of  arc.  Light  would 
reach  us  from  a  star  whose  parallax  is  thirty- 
six  hundredths  of  one  second  of  arc  in  about  ten 
years ;  while  the  light  from  a  star  with  a  par- 
allax of  fifty  hundreds  of  a  second  would  reach 
us  in  about  six  years.  Thus  the  discrepancy 
amounts  to  a  distance  such  that  light  flj^ing 
at  the  rate  of  twelve  millions  of  miles  in  every 
minute,  would  not  pass  it  in  less  than  four 
years  !  And  yet  this  star  is  the  one  wliOse  dis- 
tance has  been  most  perfectly  measured.  What 
shall  we  say,  then,  of  the  possibility  of  measur- 
ing the  depth  of  those  vast  promontories  of 
stars  which  distinguish  the  Milky  Way,  where 


THE     LANGUAGE     OF     THE     BIBLE.  31 3 

star  is  ranged  behind  star  until  the  stratum  is 
^ve  hundred  deep  !  or  who  can  collcei^'e  of  (ho 
power  of  those  instruments  which  sliall  define 
the  distances  of  the  clusters  and  nebulae  that 
stretch  out  to  infinitude,  and  proclaim  that  the 
heavens  can  never  be  measured  ? 

I  have  already  considered  the  meaning  of  the 
expression,  "  the  foundations  of  the  earth,"  and 
have  shown  from  the  passage  in  Job  that  the 
writers  seemed  to  comprehend  that  these  foun- 
dations could  never  be  discovered,  for  God,  who 
stretched  out  the  north  over  the  empty  place, 
"  founded  the  earth  upon  nothing."  And  yet 
the  earth  is  ''  established  forever ;"  that  is,  the 
condition  in  which  it  now  exists,  the  figure  of 
its  orbit^  the  mean  annual  temperature,  the 
seasons,  the  recurrence  of  day  and  night,  all 
that  goes  to  render  the  earth  habitable,  shall 
continue  forever.  This  seems  to  be  the  declara- 
tion of  the  sacred  volume ;  and  if  science  has 
read  aright  the  structure  of  the  planetary  worlds, 
these  facts  are  in  an  equal  manner  taught  by  the 
discoveries  of  modern  science. 

Thus  we  find  an  aptness  and  propriety  in  all 
U 


314  THE    LANGUAGE     OF    THE     BIBLE. 

these  astronomical  illustrations  employed  by  the 
Hebrew  prophet,  which  are  not  weakened  in 
their  power,  but  amazingly  strengthened  when 
viewed  in  the  full  light  of  our  present  knowl- 
edge of  the  natural  universe. 

If  there  be  those  who  still  insist  that  this  is 
all  accidental,  and  that  it  would  have  been  quite 
impossible  to  have  blundered  in  drawing  illustra- 
tions from  the  unchanging  revolutions  of  Nature, 
I  answer  that  nothing  would  have  been  easier 
than  to  have  erred  in  this  very  direction.  Sup- 
pose the  prophet  had  pointed  the  Hebrews  to 
the  polar  star,  the  object  that  had  for  centuries 
guided  their  ancestors  in  their  wanderings  and 
journeys,  and  had  uttered  the  exclamation, 
^^  Behold  yonder  star,  fixed  immovable  while 
all  else  is  in  motion  ;  when  that  star  shall  swing 
away  from  its  fixed  position,  then  may  the  pur- 
pose of  God  fail  toward  the  people  of  His 
choice."  Now,  nothing  could  have  been  more 
appropriate  or  seemingly  more  natural  than  the 
use  of  such  a  similitude,  and  yet  at  this  day  it 
woidd  have  been  false,  for  the  North  Star  has 
been  slowly  departing  from  its  fixed  position ; 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  315 

and,  should  the  earth  continue,  the  time  will 
come  when  it  will  be  compelled  to  yield  its 
place,  which  another  star  will  assume  in  its  turn, 
to  be  displaced  as  the  revolving  ages  roll  on. 

Thus  we  find  a  remarkable  appropriateness  in 
the  selections  which  have  been  made  of  the 
phenomena  of  the  heavens,  to  illustrate  the 
teachings  of  prophetic  declaration.  They  were 
appropriate  to  the  age  in  which  they  were  writ- 
ten, they  have  been  appropriate  in  all  succeeding 
ages  down  to  the  present  time,  and  science 
assures  us  they  can  now  never  fail.  Cnn  all 
this  have  resulted  from  accident  ?  Can  so  great 
a  multitude  of  thoughts,  expressions,  doctrines, 
illustrations,  and  similitudes,  have  all  risen  by 
accident  into  appropriate  use  among  so  many 
writers,  so  widely  separated  in  time  ?  If  it  be 
argued  that  after  all  there  is  nothing  in  all  this 
language,  in  all  these  expressions,  in  all  these 
illustrations,  and  that  it  is  but  the  perversions 
of  an  ingenious  fancy  which  gives  to  them  an 
appearance  of  appropriateness,  it  must  still  be 
admitted  that  it  is  certainly  very  wonderful 
that   such  a  multitude   of  independent    cxpres- 


316  THE     LANGUAGE     OF    THE    BIBLE. 

sions  should  be  capable  of  being  woven  into  a 
texture  of  astonishing  harmony  and  beauty. 

I  will  not  farther  multiply  examples.  Search 
the  old  prophets,  the  Psalms,  the  book  of  Job, 
even  the  New  Testament,  and  in  all  these  books, 
wherever  any  allusion  is  made  to  the  physical 
heavens,  it  seems  to  have  been  written  by  one 
possessing  the  highest  intelligence,  the  most  pro-; 
found  knowledge. 

There  is  but  one  solitary  instance  in  which  au 
author  of  any  one  book  in  the  Bible,  was  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  philosophy  of  antiquity. 
This  was  the  celebrated  meeting  between  the 
great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  with  the  Stoics 
and  Epicureans,  on  Mars'  Hill,  in  Athens.  As 
already  stated,  the  Stoics  did  not  admit  the 
power  of  God  to  create  the  material  of  the  uni- 
verse. He  could  only  arrange  and  organize 
what  had  existed  from  all  eternity.  He  could 
banish  old  Night  and  subdue  the  empire  of  Chaos, 
but  had  no  creative  power.  The  Epicureans  on 
the  other  hand  were  atheists,  or  at  least  their 
theism  severed  the  divinity  from  all  concern  in 
cither  the  physical  or  moral  universe.     As  the 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  817 

existent  condition  of  matter,  its  organization 
into  suns  and  systems,  and  vegetable  and  animal 
life,  were  all  the  result  of  accident,  of  course  the 
philosophers  of  this  school  did  not  admit  the 
providence  of  God. 

Paul,  who  was  learned  in  the  Hebrew  scrip- 
tures, and  who  had  been  educated  in  the  law  at 
the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  even  as  a  Jew,  and  much 
more  as  a  Christian,  had  imbibed  the  doctrine 
so  universally  taught  in  the  Bible,  that  all 
nature  is  but  the  offspring  of  the  creative  energy 
of  the  Divine  will. 

Here  we  find,  then,  the  representatives  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  both 
in  philosophy  and  religion — the  two  great  con- 
cerns of  humanity — brought  face  to  face  with  the 
philosophers  and  priests  of  Paganism,  and  under 
circumstances  of  most  extraordinary  grandeur. 

The  scene  was  the  Areopagus,  on  Mars  Hill, 
the  most  venerated  and  revered  court  of  all 
antiquity.  Here,  in  seats  hewn  from  the  solid 
rocks,  sat  the  judges,  whose  decree  fixed  not 
only  the  fate  of  individuals,  but  of  empires.  On 
every  hand  the  temples  of  the  Pagan  divinities 


318  THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

reared  their  beautiful  or  majestic  forms.  Statues 
of  men,  heroes,  and  gods,  in  uncounted  numbers, 
filled  every  niche  and  crowned  every  rock  on 
this  lofty  eminence.  The  subHme  form  of  the 
colossal  statue  of  Minerva,  the  tutelary  divinity 
of  Athens,  reared  its  majestic  proportions,  "tow- 
ering from  the  rock  of  the  Acropolis."  There 
were  the  shrines  of  all  the  divinities,  the  temples 
of  all  the  gods,  the  sanctuary  of  the  vengeful 
furies,  and,  in  full  sight,  the  very  gardens  w^here 
Socrates  had  poured  forth  his  lessons  of  wisdom, 
where  Zeno  had  organized  his  stern  stoical 
school  of  philosophy,  and  where  Epicurus  had 
captivated  weak  humanity  with  his  doctrines  of 
graceful  ease  or  refined  sensuality. 

Such  w^ere  the  circumstances  surrounding  the 
representative  of  the  philosophy  and  the  religion 
of  the  Bible.  E^ising,  doubtless,  under  a  full 
sense  of  the  greatness  of  his  responsibility,  Paul 
uttered  that  marvelous  discourse,  in  w^iich  he 
exclaims,  '^  0  Athenians  !  I  perceive  that  in 
all  things  ye  are  too  superstitious ;  for  as  I 
passed  by  and  beheld  your  devotions,  I  found 
an  altar  with  thi^  inscription,  '  To  the  unknown 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE.  319 

God.'  Whom,  therefore,  ye  ignorantly  worship, 
Him  declare  I  unto  you.  God  that  made  the 
world  and  all  things  therein,  seeing  that  He 
is  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  dwelleth  not  in 
temples  made  with  hands  ;  neither  is  worshiped 
with  men's  hands,  as  though  He  needed  any 
thing  :  seeing  that  He  givetli  to  all  life,  and 
breath,  and  all  things.  Forasmuch,  then,  as  we 
are  the  offspring  of  God,  w^e  ought  not  to  think 
that  the  Godhead  is  like  unto  gold  or  silver  or 
stone,  graven  by  art  and  man's  device."  Your 
philosophy,  0  stoics !  is  false.  God's  creative 
energy  built  this  magnificent  universe,  and  God's 
almighty  power  guides  universal  nature.  Your 
divinity,  0  Epicureans !  wrapt  in  somber  abstrac- 
tion, beholding,  from  afar,  with  indifference  the 
affairs  of  men,  is  not  the  divinity  of  truth ;  for 
we  also  are  the  offspring  of  the  "unknown  God," 
and  in  Him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our 
being.  Your  religion,  0  priests  !  is  false,  and 
your  shrines  and  splendid  temples,  and  statues 
of  marble  and  bronze  and  gold,  glittering  with 
precious  stones,  graven  by  art  and  man's  device, 
are  but  a  mockery ;  for  this  unknown  God,  who 


320  THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

built  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  who  sus- 
taineth  all  things  by  the  might  of  His  power, 
dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands.  Turn 
then,  0  priests  and  philosophers!  from  your 
idolatry  and  philosophy,  to  this  unknown  God 
wdiom  ye  ignorantly  worship  ;  repent,  for  He 
hath  appointed  a  day  in  the  which  He  will  judge 
the  world  in  righteousness. 

What  response  could  Pagan  philosophy  or 
Pagan  idolatry  make  to  this  appeal  of  the  Chris- 
tian hero ;  and  what  response  can  modern  phi- 
losophy make  this  day  to  the  same  appeal  ?  God 
has  breathed  into  our  nostrils  the  breath  of  life, 
and  man  has  become  a  living  soul.  Say  what 
we  may,  we  are  the  offspring  of  God,  and  as  His 
children  we  are  the  heirs  of  immortality ;  we  may 
defy  the  Omnipotent  and  incur  His  frown,  which 
withers  our  very  being ;  or  we  may  bring  our 
hearts  and  souls  in  unison  with  God's  holiness, 
and  under  his  beneficent  smile  be  filled  with  joy 
and  happiness  inexpressible  and  full  of  glory ! 

God  hath  given  us  the  power  to  scan  the  uni- 
verse, to  detect  its  laws,  to  learn  its  stupendous 
organization,  to  lift  the  soul  of  man  nearer  to 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    BIBLB.  321 

His  Divine  presence.  Where  shall  the  guilty 
find  a  refuge  ?  Surely  not  in  the  iron — the  ada- 
mantine laws  of  physical  nature.  Suppose,  it  were 
possible  to  endow  one  of  these  flying  w^orlds — 
the  earth  we  inhabit — with  a  will  and  a  rational 
soul;  and  the  earth,  now  an  independent,  think- 
ing, willing  being,  should  rise  in  rebellion  against 
the  law^s  of  God's  control,  and  refuse  longer  to 
obey.  The  rebellious  planet  exclaims,  Let  the 
sun  attract  me  never  so  much,  I  care  not  for  his 
heat,  his  light,  his  life,  I  refuse  to  reciprocate  the 
attraction :  I  have  a  power  of  will  supreme,  my 
destiny  is  my  own  !  And  thus  the  fatal  decision 
is  made.  Slowly  the  rebel  world  wheels  at  each 
revolution,  farther  and  yet  farther  from  the  great 
center  of  life  and  light.  In  spiral  circuit  it  sepa- 
rates farther  and  still  farther  from  its  wonted 
path,  till  finally,  cold  and  darkness  and  a  coming 
death  begin  to  assert  their  empire  over  the  mis- 
guided world.  With  a  start  of  horror  and  a 
shudder  which  shakes  it  to  the  very  center,  it 
now  wakes  from  its  dream  of  independence  and 
exclaims,  I  will  return  !  I  will  return  !  Alas  I 
the  return  is  impossible.     The  laws  of   nature 


322  THE    LANGUAGE     OF     THE    BIBLE. 

are  irrevocable.  The  sun  may  yet  attract  with 
living  power  the  lost  wanderer,  but  the  bond  is 
broken,  the  eq-uilibrium  is  forever  destroyed,  and 
this  rebel  planet  must  become  a  wandering  star 
for  which  is  reserved  the  blackness  of  darkness 
forever ! 

No,  my  friends  ;  the  analogies  of  nature, 
applied  to  the  moral  government  of  God,  would 
crush  all  hope  in  the  sinful  soul.  There,  for 
millions  of  ages,  these  stern  laws  have  reigned 
supreme.  There  is  no  deviation^  no  modifica- 
tion, no  yielding  to  the  refractory  or  disobedient. 
All  is  harmony,  because  all  is  obedience.  Close 
forever,  if  you  will,  this  strange  book  claiming 
to  be  God's  revelation, — blot  out  forever  its 
lessons  of  God's  creative  power,  God's  super^ 
abounding  providence,  God's  fatherhood  and 
loving  guardianship  to  man  his  erring  offspring, 
and  then  unseal  the  leaves  of  that  mighty  vol- 
ume which  the  finger  of  God  has  written  in  the 
stars  of  heaven,  and  in  these  flashing  letters  of 
living  light  we  read  only  the  dread  sentence, 
"  The  soul  that  sinncth  it  shall  surely  die !" 


DATE  DUE 


DEMCO  38-297 


